This Lullaby
by jojoStarr
Summary: Bella leaves her home in Phoenix, AZ and goes to Cullen University in Seattle, WA to pursue her dream as a musician. What happens when she meets the principal's son Edward Cullen? But most importantly, what sort of threat does an ex pose to her life?
1. Chapter 1 Leaving

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Series or any of its characters. Stephenie Meyer does. **

**& the title of this story is the name of a book by Sarah Dessen**

**Italics: Bella's thoughts. **

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Leaving

"We're really going to miss you Bella," Renee said, quickly wiping her eyes.

"Aw, come on mom, I'll be visiting for Christmas." It was hard to leave when she was like this and she needed to be reassured.

"Still, make sure you call us when you get there." Charlie said.

_At least somebody around here was strong._ And I was about to tell him that much until I heard a sniffle come from his direction.

"Dad! Are you crying?!" I could feel my eyes widen in surprise.

"What? Oh, um no…um jut allergies." He said, averting his eyes to the ceiling.

"Uh-huh. Well you guys, I've got to get going or I will miss my flight."

I quickly hugged them both before they could change my mind and left for the plane that would take me from my hometown Phoenix AZ, to Cullen University in Seattle Washington.

I settled into my seat, closed my eyes, and went over the goodbyes I'd had to say. Everyone had been very supportive, but I could tell they were sad to see me leave. My best-friends Angela and Jessica had cried so hard the night before it had me guilty. I still had to leave though, this was my dream. Cullen University was one of the most prestigious Universities with an excellent music program. If I went there, I would be guaranteed a successful career as a musician.

As I slowly pulled myself out of my thoughts, I felt the presence of someone else. Quickly opening my eyes, I was shocked at the beautiful god beside me. With slightly ruffled bronze hair and striking emerald eyes, I was sure I was dreaming. I let out a silent gasp and pushed myself farther away from him when I realized I was gawking. Hearing me, he quickly glanced my way, smirked, and looked away.

The way he'd looked at me, so nonchalantly, was a little insulting. But what was I expecting? For his jaw to drop in amazement as well? I was nothing special…your ordinary 'plain Jane'.

Plus, it's not like anything could come of it anyways. I had completely given up on guys. I had lost all faith and trust in them ever since I caught my long time boyfriend Jacob Black making out with another girl in his room. The worst part was, when he realized I'd caught him, he quickly broke up with me and told me to leave. _Like I would go back_ I scoffed out loud. The guy beside me looked at me again, except this time with an amused expression. I glared back at him, turned to my side, and tried to get some sleep.

--_x_--

The sound of wheels touching the ground woke me up and I realized the plane had landed. Slowly opening my eyes, I was surprised to feel my head lying on something warm.

_Oh NO_

I looked up and my suspicions were confirmed. My head was lying on _his _chest. He looked down at me with the most curios expression on his face.

"Sorry," I mumbled, shifting away from him.

"Yeah, you should be," he replied in a musical voice, while smirking at me.

"Ex-Excuse me?!" I exclaimed.

"I said you should be sorry. I couldn't get any sleep because I couldn't move with your head in the way," he said.

I was too shocked to reply. I felt my cheeks getting warm and knew I looked like a tomato at the moment.

He stood up to grab his bags from above and started to walk away. I tried to do the same, but at 5'3 I was too short. The stewardess had helped me put it up there and she would have to help me get it down. As I contemplated simply jumping on the seats and reaching for it or finding the stewardess, I heard a low chuckle and looked up to see _HIM_ getting my bags for me.

"Here you go." I frowned as he shoved my bags at me.

"I could have gotten it myself you know" I snapped, trying to cover up my embarrassment.

"Sure," he said, and walked away again.

_Jerk_

But it's to be expected of guys like him I guess.

I stepped down from the plane, walked into the building, and retrieved the rest of my luggage from the baggage claim area. As I began to walk outside, I looked up to see him getting into a cab and getting ready to close the door. I ran and screamed for him to wait up, but he flashed me a grin and slammed the door in my face.

_What a Jerk!_

I was shocked and couldn't move. After several failed attempts, I finally got a cab of my own to take me to the university.

Upon arriving, I took my schedule out of my purse and looked at the top for my dorm number. Meyer 301. I started walking towards the building called Meyer and noticed a group of kids standing by it. The most noticeable was a little pixie like girl with black spiky hair; she was standing next to a blonde guy who looked like a model. They were standing next to a gorgeous blonde girl and a big brawny guy.

_Wow, I hope everyone in this school doesn't look like that!_

I took the elevator up to the 3rd floor of the building and walked towards my new room. I took out my key to open the door, but realized it was already open and I could hear soft jazz coming from it.  
_Hmm_

I began to open the door, wondering who my new roommate was, but I was not prepared for the surprise waiting for me inside.

"YOU?!" we both yelled at the same time.

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**Review :D**

**jojoStarr**


	2. Chapter 2 Surprise!

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Hey guys! Chapter 2 of my first story.

**Disclaimer: I don't own the twilight series or any of its characters. **

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Surprise!

My roommate was none other than my fellow airplane 'buddy'. He was laying on a sofa at the edge of the room with a shocked expression on his face. Too quickly however, it was changed into a smirk.

"What now, are you stalking me too?" he asked.

"What?!" I asked, surprised.

"You know what I mean. I noticed the way you were looking at me at the airport, if you wanted something from me you could have just asked. You didn't have to follow me into my dorm!"

_That was it! Who the hell does he think he is?!_

"Arrogant FOOL! I didn't follow you into this room! This-" I shoved my paper in his face- "Is my room!"

"But that's not possible! You- you're a girl!"

"What's that suppose to mean? I'm not exactly thrilled about sharing a room with a GUY either."

"Sure you're not," he said, coolly.

_This guy really had some nerve. What the hell? Does he expect every girl he meets to fall for him?_

He suddenly grabbed my arm and started tugging me out the door.

"Wha-" I started to ask what he was doing.

"We are going to the housing office to get this straightened out. There's no way I was assigned to share a room with you. In case you didn't notice, it's a one bedroom!"

I stumbled outside behind him, but not without noticing some glares from some of the girls standing around.

_Do they think I'm with him?! He must be some kind of serious player for all these girls to be glaring at me. _

As we walked by, we passed the group of kids I had noticed standing by the building earlier.

"Hey Edward!" the big brawny one shouted.

"Emmett!" my roommate called back and started towards them with me still in tow.

_So his name was Edward? An old fashioned named, but it fit him. Wait, why am I thinking about his name?!_

"Who's your new girl?" Emmett asked.

_Yep, definitely a player._

I stiffened. "I don't know what YOU'RE talking about, but I'd rather be found dead than be HIS girl," I said, icily, before turning aroung to storm my way towards the housing office.

"Wow, she's got a little temper" Emmett said.

"Nah, she's just upset. She's supposed to be my 'roommate'."

"Dude, how'd you get them to do that? Isn't it a one bedroom?" Emmett asked.

"Emmett! I didn't do anything. I like my privacy too you know."

Their voices were getting farther away, but it wasn't long beofre I heard Edward's footsteps behind me.

"Where are you going?" a musical voice as smooth as velvet whispered into my ear.

I gasped and jumped. It was Edward.

I glared up at him and responded "to the housing office, where else?"

He smirked. "Well, I was just wondering because the office is that way." He pointed to the side.

I looked down because I knew I was blushing and turned towards the direction he'd pointed.

We began to walk together in silence, but were soon interrupted. "Edward!" a girl yelled.

I turned to see a pretty blonde run up to him, put her arms around his neck and start kissing him. I felt a pang of what? It couldn't be jealousy! I was sure I hated this guy. I turned back around and continued walking.

"Wait up roomy!" I heard Edward call after me, but I ignored him.

"What?! She's your roommate?!" I heard the blonde scream.

_Wait a second, I have got to see the look on her face._ I turned around and sure enough, it was priceless! I stifled laughter and started to turn around when I noticed she was about to speak.

"Who are you?!" she screamed at me, shooting daggers from her eyes.

I looked at Edward and saw he was enjoying this just a little too much. He really wanted to see something happen and I was not going to let it. I turned back around and continued walking.

"Hello?! I was talking to you!" she yelled.

"So?" I snapped. _Who does she think she is? The Queen?_

"So, answer me!" she demanded.

I faked a yawn. "I don't think I feel like it," I answered and walked into the office.

I turned to see a very disappointed Edward, and let a smile escape my lips.

There was an elderly lady sitting at the front desk and I walked up to her.

"How may I help you?" she asked. Then, just as I was about to answer, she began fussing with her hair while looking past me. I looked over my shoulder to see Edward and was immediately disgusted.

_Come on, woman! You're old enough to be his grandma!_

"Hello Mr. Cu-" she started, but was cut off by Edward.

"Hello Mariam" he said.

_What was that she'd been about to call him? Could it be Cullen, cause then that would mean he was related…nah._

"So what seems to be the problem?" she asked again.

Edward and I began to explain the situation but were soon interrupted by her.

"Oh, so it happened to you too. Well you see, kids, there's really nothing we can do about that for a couple of months," Mariam said.

"What?!" I found myself screaming. I looked up to see Edward scowling at me.

"You are not the only ones this has happened to. There was an error when assigning roommates but that problem is being taking care of. You should be able to have a respective room in a couple of months," she continued to explain.

"There is no way I'm living with this jerk for two months!" I screamed and stomped my foot.

They both looked at me with amused expressions.

"No privacy." I heard Edward mumble.

"Sorry, but that's all we can do." Mariam sighed.

I turned around and stormed back to my dorm, leaving Edward behind. Wait, I mean, mine and Edward's dorm! How in the world was this going to work out?! I walked into the bedroom, plopped down on the bed, and shut my eyes to think.

"You're sleeping in MY bed," I heard that musical voice whisper into my ear.

I screamed and jumped off to meet his intensely green eyes.

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**Please Review. :D**

**jojoStarr**


	3. Chapter 3 Black Out

**AN: I just want to thank you guys for all the great reviews! I was so happy to read them!**

**Sorry though, this chapter isn't so eventful because I'm in a hurry but i promise to make the next one longer and way better! Also, poll, Jacob Black or Mike Newton? **

**Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own the twiligth series or any of its characters. The awesome Stephenie Meyer does.**

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Black Out

Edward had a very unfriendly look on his face and for some reason, that just set me off.

"What do you mean _your _ bed? Huh? This is the only bed in this place!" I shrieked.

"So?" he retorted, and stretched himself out on the bed while I stood there fuming. "I was at this dorm first. Snooze you lose." And with that said, he closed his eyes.

"Woah! Wait a minute. Where am I suppose to sleep?" After just getting off a plane and having a screaming match with this guy, I was now beginning to loose my steam. All I wanted to do sleep...

"Go to the living room and lay on the couch or something. Just let me take a nap, I didn't get any sleep on the plane like I'd been planning to," he snapped.

I was starting to feel dizzy and my head was felt like someone was pounding nails into it with a hammer. I looked at Edward and he was staring at me strangely, as if waiting for something to happen. I turned around to go to the couch; we would finish this conversation later when I was feeling better.

"Are you..." I heard Edward begin to speak but his voice was fading away. My knees bucked and everything went black.

"_Dude they'll think you molested her or something if she doesn't wake up soon." _

_Who said that? That voice sounded oddly familiar… wait a minute where am I? Why is everything so dark? _I opened my eye lids to meet 5 sets of eyes staring down at me with worried looks.

"Oh thank goodness! You're awake!" a light bubbly voice said. I looked over to the speaker and she seemed extremely familiar. Apart from Edward, the other three seemed familiar as well. Then I remembered, they were the ones Edward had spoken to on our way to the housing office earlier. I sat up, realizing I'd been lying on the couch and stared at them, confused.

The girl who'd spoken to me earlier skipped over to me, stuck out her hand and said, "Hi, I'm Alice Cu-"

"Alice!" Edward hissed, cutting her off. They seemed to be having some sort of silent conversation with their eyes before Alice turned back to me.

I stuck out my hand, "Isabella Swan, but you can call me Bella" I smiled. I liked her already. She was so tiny though. She didn't even look old enough to be in high school.

Alice was speaking, "this is Jasper Hale, my boyfriend," she pointed the tall blonde guy standing beside her, "and that is Rosalie Hale, Jasper's little sister and Emmett her boyfriend," she pointed to the brawny guy I'd yelled at earlier and the beautiful blonde beside him. "Oh, and of course you already know my older brother Edward."

That last name, made me frown. I suddenly remembered the reason for all my distress. I looked over at him and he seemed quite amused.

"So, why'd you faint?" Rosalie asked, walking over to me.

"Why don't you ask him?" I growled, glaring at Edward.

I heard Emmett attempt to stifle his laughter and I turned to glare at him too.

"What'd you do to her Edward?" Emmett asked. "It seems like she hates you!"

Edward was about to answer, no doubt to make some witty comeback, but I cut him off "What if I do hate him? Would it be hard to believe?" I asked.

"Wow, Bella" Alice said. "I can tell we're going to be great friends!"

"Huh?" I was shocked. I just dissed her brother and she likes me?

"Well, you see," Rosalie started, "Most girls throw themselves all over him because of his looks. They don't even bother to see what type of person he is."

"If they did," Alice continued for her, "they definitely wouldn't want anything to do with him."

Oh yea, I definitely liked these girls. "That would explain why he seems to have it in his head that I'm stalking him for his body" I mused.

This time, Emmett barked with laughter and almost fell on the floor. Alice, Rosalie and Jasper were laughing too. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward get up, get his keys and make for the door.

"I'm leaving" he growled. "I have a DATE" he emphasized, looking at me, "with Laura" he added after much hesitation.

"It's Lauren, Edward" Jasper corrected.

"Yea, and you would know that if you paid more attention to half the girls you spent your time with. There's more to dating than just making out you know," Alice added.

Edward furrowed his brows and slammed the door on his way out.

"What's his problem?" I asked.

"Beats me," Alice replied smiling.

She walked over and sat down on the couch next to me.

"So Bella, tell us about yourself," she said. And motioned for the others to sit down as well.

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**Please review! :D**

**jojoStarr **


	4. Chapter 4 Friends

**Hey guys! here's chapter 4!**

**Oh, and if any of you were wondering why Bella passed out in the last chapter it was because of the yelling she'd being doing that day and she was tired.**

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I can't believe i got 30. Because of that i'm making chapter 5 extra special! thanks **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the twilight series or any of it's characters. Stephenie Meyer does! **

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Friends

When I told them I was from Phoenix, Alice squealed.

"You know, me and Edward go there all the time to visit our grandparents."

"Really? Is that why he was on my plane then?" I asked.

"Yeah, he goes by himself sometime. He's always had some kind of special relationship with them. If you asked me, I would say those are probably the only people he truly loves. But maybe…that might change?" she inquired, looking at me with a strange look in her eyes.

She looked at the others and they all glanced from her to me. I was confused.

"So Bella!" Alice perked again. "Did you leave any boyfriends behind in Phoenix?"

I may have been imagining it, but that question seemed to get everyone's attention in the room. I could feel my face pull into an automatic scowl when I gave the terse reply "NO," letting some unintentional acid leak into my voice.

They all looked taken aback, but then Alice quickly recovered.

"Hey Jasper, Emmett? You guys should go back to your dorms now, we'll meet you guys there in a while," Alice said, never taking her eyes off me.

"It was nice meeting you Bella," Emmett said, flashing a grin that made him look like a 5 year old.

"You too Emmett and Jasper," I waved to them as they walked out the door and reluctantly turned back to an anxious Alice.

"Ok Bella, spill." Rosalie said, getting closer to me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, knowing fully well what she meant. I knew they wouldn't let this go.

"Oh come on Bella," Alice started, "something clearly happened between you and some guy and we need you to spill so that we can become closer friends." Alice said, giving me puppy dog eyes.

I sighed, defeated, and began to explain my relationship with Jacob. I explained how at the time I had been so sure I was in love with him and he with me that I was sure nothing was going to happen. However, everything felt too good to be true so when I saw him with this girl I felt a sense of relief, like that was the worst that could happen. I later found out that the only reason he was with her was because she was giving him something I wouldn't. If that's all he thought about, then I didn't mind that he broke up with me, I was still disappointed in him though. He and I had been best friends before we started dating.

"So now you have issues trusting guys right?" Rosalie guessed.

I nodded. "Well yeah, I don't even date anymore. The whole love thing seems pretty absurd now too."

Alice exchanged a glance with Rosalie and mumbled something about making things harder.

"Making what harder?" I questioned.

"Uh what? Oh nothing" she replied.

_Right._

She looked around and spotted my unpacked suitcases. "Well Bella lets help you unpack," she skipped over to my suitcases and opened them. I noticed a look of disappointment on her face as she sifted through my clothing.

"Jeez Bella, you'd think someone as pretty as you would have a better sense of fashion!"

"Me? Pretty? Alice, the last time I checked brown hair plus brown eyes equaled blah, not beautiful."

She looked at me with something short of disbelief in her eyes before returning to the suitcase. "Whatever, we are not going into this discussion. You obviously have problems," she replied.

I stood up and went over to help her put my clothes in the only closet in the bedroom. Rosalie followed. It was then that I realized I hadn't fully taken in my surroundings.

The dorm was actually pretty big considering it was meant for one person. The living room you saw when you walked through the door was spacious and contained a huge black flat screen TV. (Edwards), there was a table in the center of the room with about three love seats around it. There was a bigger couch at the edge of the room where Edward had been in earlier. The kitchen was off the living room. It was small, but neat and clean, just like the little bathroom across from the bedroom. Inside the bedroom, there were four sets of gigantic speaker at each corner of the room. A huge stack of cds sat at a corner by a shelf, waiting to be arranged. I could only guess that was all Edward's too.

"So Alice tell me about your family" I asked as we were unpacking my clothes

"Well, Edward and I are twins, but he's actually older by a few minutes. Hard to believe huh?" she questioned, probably from the surprised look on my face.

"My dad Carlisle is a doctor here in Seattle."

"What about your mom? And how do you know Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper?" I asked.

"We've all known each other ever since the diaper age. We were all neighbors," she replied.

I noticed that she ignored the first part of my question but decided to leave it. Maybe something had happened that she didn't want talk about.

"Bella?" Alice called.

"hmm?" I asked still lost in my thoughts.

"Would you like to go shopping with us tomorrow? We still have one more day before school starts on Monday."

I couldn't believe I'd made friends this quickly!

"Sure, I guess. But I have to warn you, I'm not a huge fan of shopping, so I'll probably just end up whining the whole time."

Alice squealed, jumping up and down and clapping her hands.

"This will be great! I can't wait! Rosalie and I will buy you a whole new wardrobe!"

"Eh? I don't think so," I replied.

"Bella don't be ridiculous. We'll see you tomorrow morning. I'm sleepy," Rosalie said, dragging Alice out of the room.

"Sure you are, you just want to see Emmett." I heard Alice murmur.

I sighed in defeat. "Bye guys".

I slumped on a couch, but quickly jumped up at the sound of my phone ringing. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Charlie. I'd forgotten to call them when I arrived.

"Hey dad!" I was excited to hear him. If I were to choose between him and mom, I was definitely closer to Charlie.

"Hey Bella! How are you doing?"

"Oh nothing much, I'm done unpacking. Just getting ready to go to sleep."

"So did you find out who your roommate was?" he asked.

"Er..Oh no. They're not here yet. See, they'll probably be coming tomorrow or something," I lied knowing fully well he wouldn't approve of me sharing a room with a guy. It's a good thing he couldn't see my face or he definitely wouldn't have bought that.

"Hey Bella, there's someone here who wants to talk to you."

"Really? Who?" I asked. I couldn't think of anyone who was still at home. All my friends were away at college and my mom wouldn't have asked.

"Well, Billy Black and Jacob are over and Jacob-"

_Is he serious?!_

"What dad?!" I interrupted. "Are you seriously suggesting I speak to Jacob?!" I screamed into the phone.

I knew how fond my dad was of Jacob, he being the son of his best-friend Billy and all but this was ridiculous! Even after he found out about the incident he was trying to put us together?!

"Look Dad," I began, calming myself down.

"Hey Bells! Please listen to me! Don't. Hang. Up."

I knew that voice. Only one person called me Bells.  
"What do you want Jacob?" I asked icily.

"Look, I just want to explain," he began.

"Ha!" I barked into the phone. "Now you want to explain?! If I remember correctly your exact words when I found you and her were 'Get out of my room Bella! I shouldn't have to explain my actions to you!'" I said the last part trying to imitate his voice. "Look Jacob, just tell Charlie I'm fine," and with that said, I hung up.

That kid had some nerve.

I put on my favorite bunny pajamas and started for the couch to go to sleep. Halfway there, I thought better of that and changed my mind.

_There was no way I'm letting this jerk tell me what to do!_

I turned around, walked to the bedroom, grabbed one of my bed sheet sets out of the closet and put it on the bed. I then laid down on one side of it and let out a sigh.

A tempur-pedic mattress.

I then thought better of that and rolled into the middle of the bed. _Let that jerk sleep here now!_ But then again, if he was anything like I thought, he wouldn't be coming back in the night. I sighed again and fell asleep.

--_x_--

The sounds of birds chirping and the feeling of sunlight on my face awoke me from my slumber. I opened my eyes and started to lift my arms to stretch above my head when I realized they were being held down.

It was then that I felt the warm arms wrapped around me tightly. A flash of anger so overwhelming came over me that I growled and fiercely pulled the arms off while jumping off the bed. I turned around and shot a look that went with the saying 'if looks could kill', because this look would cause a massacre.

He was going to pay! **(AN: I was thinking about stopping this chapter here, but decided you guys wouldn't like me too much)**

A look of surprised flitted across his drowsy face when he looked up at me.

"What's wrong Bella? Didn't you enjoy your night's sleep?" he smirked.

"You!" I started, pointing at him with my index and getting closer, "are going to pay for that! How dare you get in that bed with me?!" I shrieked, jabbing his bare chest with my finger.

_I really have to calm down because there's no way I'm passing out again!_

"I told you it was _MY_ bed, but I guess you decided not to listen. Or maybe you did and you were waiting for me? Hmm, yea that's it! You were waiting for me! You probably enjoyed sleeping in my arms. Admit it!" he seemed like he was having an epiphany.

"Oh really?!" I retorted. "And why would I enjoy that? Hmm?!"

He looked at me like it was obvious and then he directed his eyes to himself, scanning his body suggestively.

_Oh. My. Gosh. This guy was seriously full of it! _I decided to play along.

"You know, I still have _NO_ idea what you're talking about right?" I said innocently.

"What?!" now he seemed frustrated. _This is good._

He continued. "Don't stand there pretending! Every girl in this school is hot for my body. I know you're not an exception," he yelled.

He then flashed a crooked grin and looked at me from under his long lashes. His green eyes were smoldering. He was trying to dazzle me?!

For a second it was working, but only because I was surprised, I convinced myself. I snapped out of it and smirked. Remembering how sly men could be.

"Fool," I snickered, and turned around to go to the bathroom.

I glanced over my shoulder to see a shocked expression on his face. And was it me, or was his ego getting smaller? Oh well, it was about time someone showed this pretty boy that the whole female population was not bowing at his feet.

I closed the bathroom door and got undressed to take my shower. Alice and Rosalie would be here soon.

I got into the shower and as I was shampooing my hair, I couldn't get this feeling out of my mind that I had forgotten something important…

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**OH, and tell me what you think Bella's forgotten. think! you could probably come up with two right answers!**

jojoStarr


	5. Chapter 5 Friendly Encounter

Hey guys, so here's chapter 5.

**Thank you for all the great reviews!**

I'm still doing this even though i have 3 tests i still have to study for school tomorrow. (I'm hoping it'll be a snow day and i won't have to go.)

**Congratulations to those of you who guessed what Bella had forgotten. When you read this. You know who you are! **

Disclaimer: I don't own the twilight series or any of it's characters. Stephenie Meyer does.

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Friendly Encounter

I ignored the feeling and began to hum an unknown tune. It was very soothing, almost like a lullaby. I would have to try to play it on a piano when I found one.

I heard a squeaking sound that sounded oddly like a door opening or closing. I peeked around the shower curtains and was shocked to see the bathroom door closing. I froze.

_I had forgotten to lock the door. Edward had been in here. I know it was him! He had done something, but what?!_

I turned off the water and was about to open the curtains when another realization hit me.

_Oh. My. Gosh._

_I had forgotten to bring my towel. In fact! I had forgotten to bring a new change of clothes._

_Wait a minute! The clothes I'd took off when I got in the shower! I could wear those and go grab a clean set of clothes._

I opened the shower curtain and looked on the floor where I'd dropped them. I gasped. There was nothing there! Then it hit me. _Edward._

That Jerk! That Creep! He had followed me into the bathroom and took my clothes! How dare he?! Just because I didn't throw myself at him like other girls, he decided to make me suffer?!

Fuming, I stepped out of the shower and walked towards the door – hoping he wouldn't open it again and see me in my birthday suit.

I creaked it open a notch, hid my body behind the door, stuck my head out and screamed.

"Edward! Get over here!"

It took a moment, but he finally replied. "Yes Bella?" he asked, walking towards me with a puzzled expression on his face. I could feel my face burning up even though he couldn't see my body.

"Edward. I need my clothes, and I need them now!" I growled.

"I can assure you Bella, that I have no idea what you are talking about," his silky voice answered calmly. "Are you suggesting you've lost your clothes?"

"NO! I'm suggesting you stole them! Come on Edward, this is just too childish!"

"Stole them!" he mocked, putting his hand over his heart. "Bella, it breaks my heart to have you think that way of me." He turned around to walk back into the bedroom, but then he turned around again and looked at me with a serious expression. There was a hint of mischief in his eyes.

_Please don't do what I think you're about to do Edward. Just please don't..._

"But perhaps you want me to come in there and help you find them? Hmm?" he asked while coming closer to the door and slowly bringing his head around it. "It'll be fun."

His face was so close I could smell his breath on my face. It smelled like some sort of perfume, so inviting.

Then so quickly I didn't even realize I'd done it, I slammed the door on his face with so much force there was a resounding crack from the impact.

_Ooops._

I could hear him screaming in pain and mumbling a streak of profanities on the other side of the door as I locked it.

Now, how to get out of this bathroom. I looked around and my eyes landed on the shower curtains.

_Perfect! Why had I not thought of that before?_

I tore them down and wrapped them securely around my tiny frame. I opened the door again to see him still standing there with his hand holding his nose as if it were his most prized possession.

I snickered and pushed past him to get to the bedroom when I felt a tug on my arm. I looked down to see Edward's hand, but I smelled something that was making me feel queasy. Like rust and salt. I looked back up and sure enough, there blood around his nose.

"Let me go Edward," I tried to pull myself free. I was getting very dizzy.

He let go and I stumbled towards the room, but tripped over my own feet. I braced myself for the impact of the ground, but was surprised to feel two strong, warm arms, wrapped around me instead.

Edward. Had. Caught. Me.

It was at that precise moment that Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper stalked through the door.

"Oh my gosh," I heard Alice whisper.

I could only imagine what we looked like. Me wrapped in a shower curtain with a bloody nosed Edward's arms wrapped tightly around me. Speaking of which…I looked up and he was looking at me with an unfathomable expression on his face.

I felt my cheeks flush and I struggled to get out of his arms.

He quickly let go and I stumbled into the room, closed the door, and locked it.

I cold hear their whispers through the door as I hurriedly grabbed some random clothes and changed into them.

"Edward!" Alice hissed. "What were you doing to her?"

"I wasn't doing anything. She was falling and I…" I heard him murmur but he was interrupted by Rosalie.

"Why was she in a shower curtain?"

It was then that I chose to walk through the door.

Alice quickly ran over to me. "Bella! I'm so sorry. Whatever he did to you, you have to know that WE'RE not like that, just him!"

"It's okay Alice, I don't hold anything against you."

"What exactly did he do to you?" Jasper asked.

I looked at Edward who had a very guilty expression on his face. Without taking my eyes off him, I recounted the bathroom incident. The whole time, I watched Edward, his eyes wouldn't meet mine. His expression had changed from sheepish to sad and then into unfathomable. I don't know why, but I felt like he was sorry for his actions. However, if he ever did apologize, it would be hard to forget my first impressions of him.

Everyone was standing still, staring at him with shocked expressions. I'm guessing he's never done anything like that before.

Alice was the first to speak, and with an icy tone at that.

"Come on Bella. I'm feeling sick just being in the same room as this virus." She dragged me out of the room, leaving a frozen Edward in the middle of the living room. Emmett and Jasper were trailing behind.

"I cannot believe he would do something like that. I mean, talk about immature." Rosalie said.

"We can all go fit in my jeep" Emmett said from beside me." We all followed him to his jeep. It. Was. Huge. I had to jump to get into the back seat while Jasper lifted Alice to sit beside me, and he sat beside her. Rosalie rode shotgun with Emmett in the driver's seat. It felt quite lonely.

As he began to drive, I remembered that my dad was supposed to send my car up here soon. Which was a good thing too, because I couldn't imagine having to ride with others all the time.

"So how far is the mall Alice?" I asked.

"About ten minutes."

"Okay." I settled in for the ride.

Approximately 10 minutes later we arrived at the mall. As we were getting out, I spotted a familiar red rabbit a few spots away.

_Could it be? Nah, it was probably just someone else._

Alice was already dragging me inside the mall. There was a huge smile on her face and her eyes had a very excited look. I had a feeling, this was going to be a long day, as she pulled me in Nordstrom.

Inside of our fifth store I got her permission to go get myself a drink. I crossed the food court and was headed for Orange Julius when I tripped over my own two feet for the second time that day. I closed my eyes and got ready for the impact of the floor, but was surprised when I felt those familiar arms wrap tightly around my waist and bring me back up. I turned around and sure enough, there was Mr. Green eyes and bronze hair himself. He gazed at me intently while running his hand through his hair. He looked nervous.

"Thanks Edward," I mumbled and started to turn around, but he grabbed my arm and spun me around again.

"Look Bella, I need to talk to you," he motioned towards a set of chairs.

"How do I know I can trust you? This isn't some kind of prank or something?" I snapped.

He pulled me to the chairs anyway. He was shifting around uncomfortably and kept glancing around as if he was afraid to get caught talking to me.

"Just spit it out already, I don't have all day you know."

He sighed. "Look Bella, I can understand why you would be mad at me, but I came here to apologize and you're not making it any easier."

My jaw dropped.

"I know you're surprised. I mean, it doesn't change the fact that we still hate living with each other."

I snapped it back shut.

"But my actions this morning were inexcusable and childish and I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, I've never behaved that way before. But maybe it has something to do with the fact that no one has ever acted towards me like you do."

_He really thought I was going to forgive him that easily? He was wrong. If there's one thing I was good at, it was keeping grudges and I had promised myself that I would make him pay for the he'd done to me. _

He was still talking. "I mean, you've go to understand that room was specially reserved for me, and then, wait forget I said that." He looked like he'd just let something slip that I wasn't suppose to know.

"Wait what? Specially reserved? Why would you have a room specially reserved?"

He hesitated. "Um…it must be because my mom told them I had some sort of condition that required my own separate room. Yeah... I heard her arguing with them about that."

"Oh." I still felt like he was keeping something from me.

His phone rang at that precise moment. His ringtone, _Clair de lune,_ made me raise my eyebrows. I loved that song.

"Hey Tara" he said.

"What? Oh, I mean Tanya. Yea, I knew it I was just playing with you."

I just shook my head as he stood up and left.

I stood up and headed over to Orange Julius again, except this time more careful of my steps. I was just about to order when a boom box on the counter blasted the song Thriller by Michael Jackson. The whole food court turned towards the little juice stand and I looked up to see a guy dressed in an Orange Julius costume walk out, and begin to do the dance.

It was the funniest thing I had ever seen! He was completely off beat, but I had a feeling he did than intentionally. And his facial expressions as he moved, were just hillarious. A huge crowd soon gathered beside me to watch, cheering him on. Everyone was laughing their heads off, but every so often I would catch the guy looking over at me, with an amused expression.

When the dance was finshed I clapped with everyone else and turned around to finally ordere my drink. I paid and was about to leave, but I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see the 2nd most gorgeous guy I have ever seen. As much as I hated to admit it, Edward was 1st.

"Hey," he said, and flashed me a smile that made me want to melt. I wonder what Edward's smile looked like. I hadn't seen him give a sincere smile towards me yet. _Wait, why was I trying to compare this guy to Edward? _

"Hi?" I replied, puzzled. Maybe he had mistaken me for someone else?

"So did you enjoy my little dance show?"

Comprehension sunk in "Oh, that was you?" I said laughing. "That was the funniest thing I have ever seen."

"Huh. And there I was thinking I was looking hot doing my perfect moves," he said, while doing a part of the dance.

"Jayden Strom," he said, holding out his hand. I shook it and slowly assessed him. He was tall, probably around 6'4". He had curly black hair with a few stray locks falling over his striking blue eyes. They were so blue I felt like like I would get lost in them. And that's exactly what I did.

I realized he was waving his hand in front of my face waiting for me to speak. I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"Isabella Swan. But you can call me Bella," I replied.

"Bella, the name suits you. So why are you here by yourself?"

"Oh, I'm not. My friend Alice is doing my shopping for me while I take a break. Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett are helping her too."

"Jasper and Emmett?" he asked.

_Did I detect a hint of jealousy in his voice? What was I thinking anyways? This guy would never want to go out with me, plus, I had to remember my no dating rule._

"Yeah, Jasper's Alice's boyfriend and Emmett's is Rosalie's." I found myself explaining. "We all go to Cullen University."

"Hey I go there too. I'm a sophomore. Look Bella, I've only known you for like-" he paused, holding up a finger to indicate patience as he looked at his watch, "two minutes, but I would really like the chance to get to know you better. Could I maybe have your number?" He asked shyly.

I knew I was grinning like a fool, but I couldn't help it. I had to remind myself though, was I really willing to put myself out there after all that had happened with Jacob?

"Sure" I said and gave him my number. I would just have to remind myself not to get attached.

He was grinning like a fool as well as he punched the number into his phone.

"I'll call you tonight...I've got to get back to work," he said, tilting his head towards the juice stand. "Bye Bella."

"Bye." I said, quickly turning around.

"Whoo!" I glanced over my shoulder to see him screaming as he jumped over the counter to put on his work shirt.

I slowly smiled and turned to go find Alice.

I found them all by the main doors. It looked like they were all finished and waiting for me so we could leave.

"So what was that we saw over there?" Emmett asked.

"Oh, it was some guy named Jayden Strom, he goes to our school. He's a sophomore?" I said.

"Oh my gosh Bella! You spoke to Jayden Strom and you haven't started school yet?" Alice squealed.

"Huh? Is there something I should know about him?"

"Uh, only that he's the star basketball player of the school. Everyone knows and loves him!"

"Oh. Well, he asked for my number."

I saw Alice frown a little and I was surprised. I had thought she would be happy for me.

"What's wrong Alice? Is he bad?" I asked. I knew I shouldn't have given me my number.

"No, that's exactly the problem. He's a GREAT guy. Really funny, that means you guys will be dating for a while," she said.

I was confused.

"Yea? Isn't that good?"

"Well, yea, but you're suppose to-" she started.

"Never mind her Bella" Rosalie interrupted. "We're happy for you."

The atmosphere in the car on the ride back to the dorms was tense. I couldn't help feeling like I'd done something wrong. What had Alice wanted me to do?

We pulled into the same parking spot we'd been in earlier. As I got out, I spotted that same familiar red rabbit parked a few spots away. It couldn't be the same one could it?!

As we carried all the huge shopping bag upstairs, I couldn't get rid of the ominous feeling in my mind.

I opened the door to see not only Edward seating in the living room, but someone else as well. The one person I'd told to stay out of my life was lying casually on a couch as if it was the most normal thing in the world, while my roommate sat glaring at him.

I clenched my jaw, narrowed my eyes, and walked towards him. I pointed to the door.

"Get. OUT."

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Finally! This took me forever to write while i was supposedly doing my homework.

**Who's in the room? I think it's pretty darn obvious! **

REVIEW! :D

jojoStarr


	6. Chapter 6 Stalker

**Hey guys! Thank you for all the awesome reviews! :D**

Disclaimer: Don't own the Twilight series or any of its characters. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

They are all human.

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Stalker

"Come on Bells, you don't want me to leave," he replied with a smug grin.

"Jacob, believe it or not, I do. Why are you here anyways? Are you stalking me?"

"No, I came to get you back." He said standing up. "I mean, I know you never fully got over me, so I'm ready to get you back."

_Ahh, classic Jake. As arrogant as ever._

I gave a sad laugh. "She cheated on you didn't she Jake? But then, when you found out, she broke it off?" I guessed.

His face got red and I knew I had my answer. He changed tactics.

"Look Bells, I need you. My life hasn't been the same ever since you left. Please, I can't leave without you?" He said, giving me a pleading look.

I sighed. "Jacob have you ever heard the song Karma by Alicia Keys?" I asked.

He hesitated, not knowing where I was going with this. "No, but what does that have to do with this?" he asked. I saw Alice smile.

"Well, it's got everything to do with this. You've got to hear it." I replied. I brought my little boom box out of the bedroom and popped the CD in. The lyrics poured through the speakers.

_Weren't you the one who said that you don't want me anymore  
And how you need your space and give the keys back to your door  
And how I cried and tried and tried to make you stay with me  
And still you said your love was gone and that I had to leave  
Now you're Talking bout a family  
Now you're saying I complete your dreams  
Oh  
Now you're sayin I'm your everything  
You're confusing me  
What you saying to me, don't play wit me, don't play wit me  
Cause...  
Chorus:_  
_What goes around comes around  
What goes up must come down  
Now who's cryin', desirin' to come back to me  
What goes around comes around  
What goes up must come down  
Now who's cryin, desirin', to come back_

"Look Bells you've got to listen to me," he started.

"Wait Jacob, listen to this last part."

_I remember when I was sittin home alone  
Waitin for you till 3 o'clock in the 'morn  
Night after night knowing something goin on  
Wasn't long before I be gone  
Lord knows it wasn't easy believe me  
Never thought you'd be the one that would deceive me  
And never do what you're supposed to do  
No need to approach me fool, cuz I'm over you_

He turned off the boom box and started to walk towards me.

"Jacob, that song says everything I feel right now."

He put his hand on my shoulder and I heard a sharp intake of breath. I looked towards the sound and realized it was Edward. He was still glaring at Jacob. I convinced myself he was just annoyed that there was a stranger in the room.

I pushed Jacob's hand off my shoulder and took a step back.

"But Bella, it can't be. You still love me," he said, as if convincing himself.

"Sorry Jake but you're wrong. I have moved on. I need you to leave."  
A look of pure hatred and anger flashed across his face as he looked at Edward.

"Is it him?" he sneered.

"Er…no"

"Well, I'm not leaving until you tell me who it is," he replied stubbornly.

"My gosh Jacob, why can't you take a hint?" I was starting to get frustrated.

"Hey Bella, all you have to do is say the word" I heard Emmett mutter behind me. I looked up to see him flexing his muscles.

"Hold on Emmett. Aren't you supposed to be in school Jake?"

"I am in school."

"Then why are you here?" I asked confused.

He looked at me as it was obvious. "This is my school. I enrolled here so I could spend more time with you."

"What?! You _are_ Stalking me! Get out Jake!"

"What? You're not coming back to me?" he asked disbelievingly.

"No."

"Why?" He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, clearly annoyed. He was starting to scare me.

"You cannot expect me to come back after what you did," I replied as calmly as I could.

His brows furrowed and his pupils dilated as he glared at me.

"I didn't do anything. If you would have done what I wanted you-"

"But I didn't right? Jake you need to move on. And please go to a different school. Emmett..."

I saw Emmett grin as he sauntered over to Jacob.

"Bella, if you don't come back to me, I'll just have to take you anyways," Jake said icily. He was looking at me with visible hatred in his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I whispered, truly frightened.

"I will get you to come back, no matter what it takes. And anyone who stands in my way will just have to suffer the consequences," he sneered, as Emmett pushed him out the door.

_Oh. My. Gosh._

I could feel the blood rush from my face as I struggled to maintain my balance. Jacob had just threatened me with what? Kidnapping?

I tried to make my way over to the couch to sit down, but failed miserably and was about to fall when I felt someone lift me and sit me on their lap.

I turned to see Edward looking at me when an unfathomable expression on his face.

I blushed, realizing the position we were in, but he just kept staring at me.

"Bella, we've got to call the cops. You've got a stalker," Rosalie sneered.

"Huh?"

"Did you not just hear what he said? He just threatened to kidnap you!" Alice shrieked.

"He's been following us guys," I said. "I saw his car at the mall."

I heard Alice gasp.

"We can't call the cops," Jasper said calmly.

"What? Why?"

"Because we have no proof there's a stalker. They'll think we're pranking or something and won't help us. We'll have to figure out a way to get solid proof the next time he threatens you."

"Next time?" I whispered, my eyes wide.

"Yea, he's definitely coming back" Emmett said. "And now that he goes here, you'll probably be seeing him around."

"But we'll be there to help you. Right guys?" Alice asked.

Everyone nodded their agreement except for guess who? Edward.

Wow. What. A. Shocker. I realized he hadn't uttered a word the entire time. I looked at him and he put me down on the couch and stood up. We stared at each other, but were interrupted by a knock on the door. Jasper opened it to reveal a tall, beautiful blonde. Edward did not say a word as he left the dorm behind her.

Alice sighed.

"Look guys, I'm just going to get some sleep okay? You can leave."

"But what if he comes back?"

"He won't, now go on." They seemed reluctant.

"Well, we live downstairs, so don't hesitate to get us if anything happens."

I gave them a reassuring smile. "Thanks guys."

As soon as they closed the door, I went to the bedroom. Exhausted and frightened.

I was confused by Edward's behavior today. At one point he seemed to care, then the next he was blowing me off.

I was just drifting to sleep when I heard a knock on the door. My heartbeat quickened and I instantly became frightened. What if he had seen Edward leave and knew that I was alone?

I stood up shakily and tried to convince myself that it wasn't him. The person knocked again. Louder and insistent this time.

My breath was coming in shallow gasps as I realized there was no peep hole on the door.

I slowly turned the knob, opened the door a little and looked through it.

My heartbeat stopped.

**

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**

So, i know you're probably frowning at this ending, but i'll be updatinng tonight or tomorrow depending on how many reviews i get. I had to cut this chapter into two because it was so darn long!

**I can give you a hint: Something intense happens between Edward and Bella. **

**I have no school for the rest of the week b/c of snow. So...the more reviews i get the faster the next chapter comes up!**

**Who was at the door? I don't think you guys know who it is, though if you paid really close attention to the previous chapter, you might have an idea. I get to see who my observant people are. REVIEW!**

**jojostarr**


	7. Chapter 7 Mixed Emotions

**Congratulations to: **

**Ally R, ilovenaruto1223, buttrflykissez1123, Horseluvr13, vampirelove101, alleycat30534, twinette, and shequerida!**

**for being the people to guess it was Jayden! i wonder how u did that though, he didn't say he was coming over he said he was going to call so good job! **

**I love you guys so much! (not that way) we passed the 100 review mark! it must have been because i was wearing my lucky socks. (yes i have lucky socks)!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight series or any of it's characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**They are all Human**

* * *

Mixed Emotions

"Bella? Are you all right?" he asked with a worried look.

I opened the door fully and gave a sigh of relief. "Oh my gosh Jayden, you scared the crap out of me."

He chuckled and walked in. "Why?"

I closed the door and contemplated whether or not to tell him about Jake. I decided not to. Maybe I would later.

"I was just nervous already about being in here by myself, and I couldn't think of anyone who would want to visit us" I lied.

"Come here," he said, pulling me into his lap. "Who's your room mate?"

_Aw man. I'd been hoping he wouldn't ask that. But he's bound to find out sooner or later._

I sighed. "Edward Cullen"

I felt him stiffen and I looked at him.

"What's wrong? Don't you like him?" I asked.

"No, that's not it. But you do know he's just a playboy and nothing more, right?"

"Yea, I've had that impression of him ever since I got here."

He relaxed. "Good"

"So, how come you're here? I thought you said you were going to call me."

He smiled. "I know, but I couldn't wait till tomorrow to see you. I surprised myself by coming here too. I don't know what you've done to me Bella, but I've been thinking about you all day."

I was blushing furiously and I looked down. I had to remind myself that he would just end up hurting me in the end. But I knew it would be unfair if I didn't give him a chance.

"Hey," he whispered, lifting my chin up so I was looking at his blue eyes. I couldn't look away and before I knew it, we were kissing each other. I was about to deepen it when a knock on the door made me jump off his legs.

I heard him groan and I smiled to myself as I walked towards the door. But then I froze. Who could this possibly be? Well, I had Jayden here, so I would be safe.

I opened the door to reveal an old man in overalls.

"Um…hi?" I was confused.

"Hello Miss. Are you Swan?" he croaked.

"Yeah. Do I know you?" this guy was creeping me out by the way he was looking at me.

"Nope" he answered, smiling.

"Okay, then why are you here?" I asked.

"Just bringing you your car" he said rocking back on forth on the balls of his feet.

_Yes! My car was here! _I waited for him to speak but he just stood there, rocking back and forth and smiling at me._ Okay?_

"Bella?" I heard Jayden walk behind me. "Who's this?"

The old man was now glaring at Jayden and I was finding it very hard to contain my laughter. I'm pretty sure the man had been about to hit on me.

"He was bringing me my car. Right?" I smiled at him.

He smiled back. "Right. It's an Audi R8 correct?" he asked still grinning.**(AN: pic of car on profile)**

"That would be it!" _Just give me my darn keys already._

He was still talking. "Yup, those babies are fast! I would never think someone like you would want one. Smooth, silver, and fast! Yup-.."

"Um, Mister?" I interrupted. "Could I please have my keys?"

"What? Oh sure" he gave me the keys. "And don't call me Mister, it's Ed to you."

"Ok-ay" I said.

"Nice talking to ya," he croaked and winked as he walked away.

_OMG! He winked!_

I closed the door and fell on the couch while barking with laughter.

Jayden furrowed his brows while pretending to be mad. "That old man was hitting on you. I didn't like the look in his eyes," he growled. He looked so funny!

I went into another set of hysterics.

He sat down beside me and pulled me into his arms. "Now where we before we were so rudely interrupted?"

I blushed and he began to kiss me again. We were really getting into it when I heard the door open.

It was just as well, I had to remind myself we were moving too fast.

I looked up to see Edward stalk past us and slam the bedroom door.

"Well, I guess that's my cue to leave" Jayden said getting up.

"You don't have to leave because of him," I muttered. I was still mad at the way Edward had left the dorm earlier without uttering a single word.

"Don't worry. I'll see you tomorrow," he said, walking out the door.

I sighed and slumped on the couch. There was no way I was sleeping in the same room as Edward tonight.

I was struggling to find a way to get comfortable on the couch when Edward walked into the living room. He was looking at me really funny.

"What was Strom doing here?" he asked. He looked mad?

"Why do you care?" I snapped.

"Well, because I live here, and I have a right to know why there are other people here."

"Well, if you must know, he came to see me."

He raised his eyebrows. "Really? So you're his latest project?"

"What do you mean by that?" he was truly getting on my nerves.

"Jayden's not only the star basketball player of the school, but he's also the star player of the school. If you know what I mean."

"Oh, you mean like yourself?" I retorted. Was he lying to me or was he serious?

He looked pained by that comment. "Bella, I'm not a player, I just don't believe in love."

"I don't either, but you don't find me making out with the first guy that passes my way." _What do you call what you just did with Jayden?_

"I think you have the wrong impression of me Bella," he said getting closer to me.

"No, I don't think so. I've found someone who might actually like me and you don't want me to be with them? You don't catch me telling you to stay away from your blondies over there."

He gave a sigh of frustration and sat down beside me.

"Bella, what'll it take to prove to you that I'm not lying? I just don't want him to hurt you."

_Okay, now I know he's lying. When Jacob left and everyone said they would have my back, he didn't care about me then!_

"Really? So, in a time span of about one hour your feeling towards me have completely changed?" I snapped.

He looked at me with frightened eyes for a moment and didn't speak. As if what I'd just said was true. _What's wrong?_

"To me, you're still the guy who refused to share a taxi with me at the airport, believed I was stalking him, and stole my clothes out of the bathroom so I would admit that I was hot for his body."

He groaned. "Will you please forget about all those things? Please? I can't believe I did that. I already apologized."

"But I didn't say you were forgiven." I said looking him in the eye.

In a movement so fast I didn't have time to react, he grabbed me by the shoulders and began to kiss me. I felt something like an electrical shot go between us and began to kiss him back. A voice in the back of my mind kept nagging 'what about Jayden?' You're just as bad as Edward if you're making out with someone else less than two minutes after the other has left!

I pulled myself away from him and slapped him.

"How dare you?!"

_I had no right to do that, I mean I did kiss him back._

He looked shocked and was staring above my head, at the door. I followed his gaze and froze.

_Aww man! We have a lot of explaining to do._

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**Hmmm...i wonder who's at the door. it really could be anybody, so i have got to see who gets this one first. No hints! **

**What'd you guys think of the ol mister? **

**next chapter, first day of school, edward's turning around, an encounter w/Jacob!**

**I'm sorry i couldn't update last night like i wanted to, my dad got on my computer and never left!**

**Review! Review! REVIEW! ;)**

**jojoStarr**


	8. Chapter 8 First Day

**Hey guys! Thank you Thank you Thank you!! for all the awesome reviews! Because of them i was able to finish this chapter a lot sooner than expected!**

**Todays winners: SingSongsAlong08, twinette and Icy Cullen!**

**Disclaimer: I. Do. Not. Own the Twilight Series or any of it's characters. Stephenie Meyer does:)**

**All Human.**

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First Day

Alice looked sad as she said "not you too Bella", before pointedly glaring at Edward.

"No Alice, it's not what you think," I started to explain.

"Whatever. Well, I was just coming to make sure you were okay before I went to sleep. I'm guessing you're just peachy!" she said and walked out.

I groaned and stood up to move to a different couch, anywhere to get away from Edward. This day couldn't possibly get any worse. He pulled me back down as soon as I stood up.

"Where are you going?" he asked startled.

"A different couch. Anywhere," was my reply.

He looked sad all of a sudden. He pulled me into his lap and ignored my attempts to wriggle out. He began to stroke my cheek as he murmured "I'm not sorry I did that you know."

I pulled back. "Of course you're not! I'm just another name to add to your list of girls. It pisses me off that I let you do that. Now, I'm no different from all the other girls."

"You didn't feel it?" he asked.

"Feel what?" I lied, knowing fully well what he meant, but there was no way I was letting HIM know that. He'd probably forget about this by tomorrow.

"You know, when we kissed-" he groaned, let me go, and put his head on his hands.

I could hear him mumble some unintelligible words under his breath.

I walked over to the nearest couch and heard him say something.

"What?" I asked.

"I said you can go sleep in the room."

I looked at him in shock. What had brought about this change? But I wasn't about to argue, I turned around and went into the bedroom.

I don't think I got a wink of sleep that night. So many thoughts were running through my mind as I tossed and turned.

When I woke up, I was surprised to see Alice sitting on the edge of the bed, watching me.

"Alice! How long have you been here?"

"Just a few minutes. You know Bella, you talk in your sleep," she said.

She was talking to me, I hoped that meant she forgave me.

I groaned "what did you hear?"

She smiled. "You kept saying my name and apologizing over and over again. I was never mad at you."

"Oh, thank goodness," I said sitting up.

"I'm just mad at him. I saw everything that happened," she said sadly.

"Well!" she perked up in an instant. I have no idea how she did that. "Go take a shower Bella! I have to choose an outfit for you!"

That's how. Alice and clothes. I stood up grumbling, grabbed my towel, and went into the bathroom.

When I came back out, she already had an outfit laid out on the bed. I felt my eyes widen.**(pics of outfit on profile)**

"Alice, you can't expect to wear that skirt! It barely covers a third of my thighs!"

She just glared at me and I knew there was no arguing there. The only compromise we had was for me to exchange the heels for a pair of tennis shoes instead. I didn't want to injure myself my first day of school.

I sat like an obedient child on the bed while she did my makeup. As soon as she was done, there was a knocking on the bedroom door.

"Hurry up guys, I need to get dressed too," Edward called through the door. I grabbed my bag and started to walk out the door with Alice when I noticed for the first time the two garbage bags in the room.

I stared as she began to pick them up "Alice, what are those?" I asked.

"Your clothes, silly," I opened my mouth to argue, but she shot me that same glare that made me immediately shut my mouth. Sneaky little pixey.

We opened the door to let Edward in and I froze. He was standing there in nothing but a towel and his bronze hair was darker as it was wet. I was still staring when he asked "Bella, could you please let me get into the bedroom?" I blushed and hurried into the living room, Alice right behind me. She was looking at me with odd expression on her face.

I grabbed my keys and helped her with one of the garbage bags as she grabbed her school bag. We walked out of the building and dumped the bags in a nearby dumpster. Emmett. Rosalie, and Jasper were sitting on a bench nearby.

I pulled my skirt down, I had a feeling I would be doing that a lot today, and walked over to them with Alice.

"Hey Bella," Emmett grinned when he saw me.

"So anything happen last night" Jasper asked. I froze, but then realizing he was talking about Jacob I blushed and shook my head.

"Well, you let us know if he has any classes with you because that could lead to trouble," he replied.

"Okay," I squeaked. They looked at me funny as I walked away, towards my first class. I was already feeling extremely guilty and I didn't know how I was going to tell Jayden about Edward. Maybe I shouldn't.

As I walked into my Calculus class, my worries vanished and were replaced by fear when I saw Jacob sitting at the back of the room. The class was pretty vacant because I was early, but I didn't want to take my chances.

I walked to the opposite end of the room and sat down, ignoring his watchful eyes following me.

I kept my eyes straight ahead and my breathing was coming out in ragged sounds. I was really hoping he wouldn't come and sit beside me. My hopes were destroyed when I saw him stand in front of me.

"Hey Bells," he grinned as if he hadn't just threatened me yesterday.

I gulped. "Jacob" I wouldn't look him in the eyes.

He lifted my chin with his finger and looked into my eyes. "So, did you think over what I said yesterday?"

"Yes," I whispered. A couple of the students in the room were looking at us strangely.

"And? Did you change your mind?" he asked impatiently. I could feel the seconds ticking by.

"No," I squeaked. I watched as his brows furrowed and his face turned cold.

"Bella, I don't know why you're making this harder than it needs to be," he said through gritted teeth. "You know you still want me, and I won't leave until you say so. Now say it," he sneered.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to the side to see Jayden. I hadn't seen him walk in. He was looking at me with worried eyes. "This guy bothering you Bella?" No, not Jayden, I didn't want to get him involved. Jake had already threatened to hurt anyone who stood in his way.

"This the guy Bella?!" Jacob was screaming now and I was becoming extremely frightened.

"No!" I squeaked. The classroom was filling up now.

It was at that time that the professor walked in and I gave a sigh of relief. I watched as Jayden sat beside me and Jacob, not finding any closer seats walked back to his previous one.

I was aware of Jacob glaring at me throughout the entire class period but I refused to look at him. I was visibly shaking in my seat and hoping he wouldn't catch me after class. I was already formulating a plan to make a run for it.

As soon as the class was over I told Jayden I'd see him later and sprinted out of that class room!

Throughout the entire day I kept a lookout for Jacob. He didn't have any other classes with me.

At lunch I was relieved to see my friends in the dining hall, waving me over to sit with them. I stood in line and grabbed a burger, carefully avoiding the stares of some guys along the way. I sat beside Alice and across from Edward, because I was uncomfortable around him after the incident yesterday.

I hadn't realized someone had spoken to me and was surprised to see everyone staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Rosalie asked if you had any classes with Mr. Stalker."

"Oh, yeah. My 1st period class Calculus. Jayden's in it with me too and I don't think Jacob likes him very much."

"Have you told Jayden about Jacob yet?" Alice asked.

I shook my head no.

"Well, you better do it soon. He deserves to know that some psychopath is after you and will do what ever it takes to get you." Emmett boomed.

"I know. I think I 'm seeing him tonight, I'll tell him then."

"What? You're seeing him tonight?" Edward asked glaring at me.

I ignored him.

The rest of the lunch time went by quietly as I was thinking about all the drama in my life. I was the last one out of the hall and when I walked towards my last class, Music Expertise, I felt a sudden lightness. Music was the one thing that gave me relief when I was tense, and I remembered the random tune I'd hummed in the shower that I wanted to try out.

I opened the door to the classroom and froze. There was Edward sitting at a piano playing a beautiful piece. But there was something about it, it was just so sad. What could he possibly be sad about?

There were only a couple other students in the room at other pianos. I began to walk over to one when I saw Edward turn and look at me.

"Come here Bella," he patted the space next to him.

I hesitated and walked over to him, then sat down.

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I'm extremely sick right now(stupid weather) and don't know when next I'll update.

**I hope this isn't considered a cliff hanger b/c i've been doing that a lot and feel bad. I've also updated twice to make up for yesterday.**

**well, please REVIEW!**

**jojoStarr **


	9. Chapter 9 A New Friend

**Hey guys! Thanks to those who wished for me to get better! I've been in bed all day and just found out I won't be here for the rest of the weekend. So, I'm giving you and extra long update:)**

**Sorry if there are mistakes, but I'm in a hurry and all I've got is spell check.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Series or any of it's characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

**All Human.**

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A New Friend

"I didn't know you played the piano Edward," I said, trying to make conversation. But I really was surprised.

"Ditto."

I chuckled.

"Bella?" he looked at me.

"Yeah."

"Look, I just wanted to apologize for what I did yesterday. I seem to make so many mistakes whenever I'm around you. I'm very sorry about that."

_Wow. _This apology seemed more sincere than the previous one at the mall.

"Apology accepted." I said smiling.

He flashed a crooked grin my way and in my mind, I quickly compared it to Jayden's.

I sighed. "I guess this means I can't get you back for the things you did to me before."

"Huh?'

"I was plotting ways to get back at you for all your previous actions towards me," I confessed.

He laughed. It was a smooth, musical sound and I found myself wanting to hear more of it when he stopped.

"Anywho, I would really like it if we could start over as…friends?" he asked.

_Okay, that was just pushing it a little bit._

"Uh…Edward, I don't think we can be friends"

He looked confused.

"Why?"

"Edward, I haven't known you for long but I've seen enough evidence to know that you're a serious player. I really don't like your treatment of girls. I mean, you hardly even know their names, yet you're making out with them as if your life depended on it. I find it extremely disgusting. That kind of treatment of girls, using them for your pleasure, is kind of a soft spot for me. And I know I'm probably being biased, but I could never be friends with someone who's like that. Maybe if you changed your habits…" I stopped, realizing I'd been ranting.

He looked shocked. "You make me seem like the bad person Bella. These girls know what their getting into when they're with me."

"But Edward, do they get annoyed if you can't remember their name?"

He hesistated. "Yeah," he sighed and looked down.

"See? No matter how much they try to hide it, they still care about little things like that.'  
Suddenly he looked up and his eyes flashed with anger.

"Who do you think you are anyways? Acting as if you know more about my own life than I do? I'm sorry if the only people I enjoy my time with aren't stalkers!" he spat.

I flinched at his words, surprised. I felt like we'd been getting somewhere, but now I felt like I'd been slapped.

I stood up and began to walk away towards a different piano when I tripped and almost fell. But quick as a flash, I was caught. I didn't even have to look up to see who it was. I pushed his hands off and walked away.

I sat down at a different piano and let my brown hair form a curtain around me. I made sure my face was hidden and let the moisture that had began to form in my eyes thicken. I could see the tears as they fell on the piano keys and my whole body was shaking.

The music teacher walked in then and introduced himself to us as Mr. Money. He explained to us that in one month we would be required to perform a composition of our own at a contest. It could be done solo or with a partner. I lwiped my eyes and looked around the room. I didn't recognize anyone else in the class so I guess I was going solo. We would have all class time for the whole month to work on the composition.

_Yay._

I put my things down and stared at the keys, while trying to remember the tune I'd hummed in the shower a couple of days ago. I began to play a few keys of the tune, and took down notes wherever I progressed. It was going to take a while before I got everything right.

I could hear everyone else as they played, but my ear easily tuned in to Edward's song. Why so sad?

As soon as the class was over I stood up and ran out the door right into a blonde. She was furiously glaring at me and I don't think it was because I ran into her. I recognized her as the blonde I'd seen kissing Edward the day I'd arrived. I rolled my eyes understanding why she was there and pushed past her. I had one mission in my mind and it was to find Jayden. I had to remind myself to be on the lookout for Jacob too.

I wandered aimlessly for a while, trying to find him and finally gave up; heading back to my dorm. As soon as the building came into view I noticed someone leaning against my car in the parking lot.

I gasped when I took in the tall stature but gave a sigh of relief when I saw the curly black hair. I ran towards him. Or at least attempted to run, I'm sure it looked more like a stumble.

"Hey Jayden!"

He turned towards me and smiled.

"Bella."

I was so relived to find him I found myself hugging him. Then when I realized that after I told him about Jacob he would want nothing to do with me, I squeezed him tighter.

"Bella, what's wrong?" he mumbled into my hair.

"I have to talk to you. Let's go somewhere else," I said, pulling myself back.

He looked down at me. "How about the Starbucks just out of campus?"

"Sure. Get in," I pointed towards the passenger side of my car.

As soon as he was seated inside of the car he let out a low whistle.

"This is one sweet car Bella."

I smiled. "Thanks. I've got a soft spot for fast, sporty cars." **(AN: The real Bella doesn't but I do!)**

_--e__--_

I was so nervous throughout the entire ride, and I kept sneaking glances at him. I was having an inner battle with myself.

He'd been so nice to me, I didn't want to let him go so soon. Maybe I shouldn't tell him, but that would be selfish. He deserved to know, he could possibly be in danger. I didn't like the way Jacob had been looked at him earlier. _If looks could kill, he'd be dead. _I mean, it was worse than the way he'd looked at Edward.

Thanks to my speedy driving we were there in a couple of minutes. I parked and got out, waiting for Jayden.

"Is everything all right Bella? You're extremely jumpy and you look stressed out."

I grunted in response and led the way inside.

We sat down at a booth in the back with me facing the rest of the cafe so I could keep an eye out. I gave the café a brief scan and gave a sigh of relief. I then turned to look Jayden in his blue eyes.

"Jayden there's something important you've got to know," I started nervously.

"What is it?" he asked, cautiously.

"You know that guy in our Calculus class?"

His brows furrowed. "Yeah?"

"Well, he's my ex-boyfriend from Phoenix and he's-…" I hesitated.

"Yeah?" he urged

"He's sort of following me around," I hurriedly added.

Jayden exhaled as if he'd been holding his breath the entire time. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "You mean he's stalking you. That's why you didn't seem so happy to see him earlier?"

I nodded. "He wasn't too happy to see you either."

He gave me a questioning glance.

"Jayden, last night he threatened to kidnap me if I didn't come back to him and anyone who stood in his way would have to suffer the consequences. I made the mistake of telling him I was moving on and if he finds out it's with you, well…"

I sat back and watched him as it sunk in. He looked thoughtful, but he didn't look scared.

"Well, Bella, I guess we'll just have to make sure he doesn't get his hands on either one of us," he said after some time.

"Huh?" there was no way he had just said that. "Aren't you frightened? Aren't you going to like, stay away from me?"

He frowned "Why would I do that?"

"Pssh, I don't know, maybe because you could get hurt? I mean…"

"I'm not deserting you Bella," he murmured, staring intently at me.

I was shocked. I smiled real huge and before I knew it I was out of my seat and had jumped into his lap, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck.

I could feel him laughing beneath me.

"I'm so happy you're not leaving," I sighed, closing my eyes. He wrapped his arms around me and I stayed there for a while, but immediately looked up when I heard the bell ringing, signaling that someone was entering the café.

I froze and my eyes widened.

Jayden pulled me back "What's wrong Bella?"

"Jacob's here," I whispered.

He followed my gaze and frowned when he saw Jacob glaring at us.

"Come on, let's get out of here," he said, helping me up.

We got up and walked towards the door where Jacob was still standing.

I looked down to avoid his glare, but I could still feel it.

He didn't utter a word as we walked past him and out the door.

He did however, follow us.

When we got into my car, he got into his, and when I pulled out, his car was right behind mine.

"I cannot believe he's openly following us," Jayden muttered.

It was starting to get dark outside, but there were still some students lingering around when I pulled into my parking spot.

Jacob didn't follow us there.

We got out of the car and I waved goodbye to Jayden.

"I'll come get you in the morning," he called.

It was then that I realized I hadn't told him about the kiss with Edward.

I turned towards my dorm, deciding that I would tell him tomorrow, plus, it wasn't like we were officially going out yet or anything...right? But the way we were when together, maybe he was one of those people who didn't ask and you just had to assume. Quickly clearing my head of those thoughts, I walked through the door to find Edward in a pair of Spongebob Squarepants boxers and socks, sprawled on a couch, watching 'Deal or No Deal'.

For a second, I forgot about our discussion earlier and chuckled at the sight. He quickly looked up to stare at me and I froze, immediately remembering. I suddenly felt guilty about the way I'd spoken to him and decided I would apologize in a minute.

I walked to the room and decided I would put on my Barney boxers to lighten the mood. I pulled a purple tank top over my head and walked to the kitchen. My stomach was growling and I was hoping that by some miracle there would be food in the kitchen, considering I hadn't gone grocery shopping yet.

I was surprised to see Edward already hovering over the stove.

"Edward, what are you doing?" I asked curiously.

"Nothing. Go to the living room and I'll come tell you in a second" he commanded, blocking whatever he was doing with his body.

I didn't want to listen to him, but I was curious. So I went to the living room and watched 'Deal or No Deal'.

The woman on the show was literally biting her nails as she waited for the model to open the case. I smiled as Howie Mandell drew on the suspense by announcing a commercial break. He always did that.

Something was smelling awfully good. I turned my nose expectantly towards the kitchen. Yup. It smelled like…bacon! My stomach was growling louder now.

I heard footsteps and turned back towards the television, knowing Edward coming.

Sure enough, he walked out with a tray in his hands. He set it on the table before me, and looked at me expectantly. There was a huge stack of pancakes and bacon with a glass of orange juice.

I just stared at it confused. I looked up at him questioningly and he was shifting around nervously.

"I made it for you Bella. You know, I mean I can't make anything but breakfast food and brownies, but I wanted to do something for you to show you how sorry I was."

I was dumbstruck. My mouth moved, but no sound was coming out.

He was starting to look sad.

"You're not going to forgive me?"

I patted the spot next to me on the couch. He smiled and walked over, then sat down.

"I'm just surprised is all Edward," I finally said.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"I understand if you don't forgive me Bella. What I said to you this afternoon was extremely out of line. But I just wanted to show you that I really am sorry."

I sighed. "You're not the only one that needs to apologize Edward. I had no right to judge you the way I did. I mean, you were right. You know more about your life than I do and I should just butt out."

"Bella, your words did have a certain effect on me. That's why I lashed out on you. I realized you were right, and was disgusted with myself, but I didn't have a right to take my anger out on you. No one except Alice has ever told me that straight to my face, but I guess hearing it from someone who isn't family woke me up. I'm going to change Bella. But I might need your help," he added, smiling.

I was grinning like a fool!

"Edward, I'd be happy to help!"

"Just one more thing, can we be considered…friends now?" he asked.

I pretended to think for a second and his face slowly dropped.

"Sure!" I smiled

He put out his hand "friends?"

I put out mine "friends" and we shook it. Then, I surprised us both by flinging myself at him and wrapping my arms around his neck to give him a hug.

He hesitated, then brought his arms around my waist.

"Bella," he murmured.

I blushed and pulled back, embarrassed by my actions. At that precise moment, my stomach growled fiercely.

I blushed even harder and Edward smiled. "Eat your pancakes Bella"

"Only if you eat with me."

He went to get another fork and knife and we split the food.

I looked at his boxers and giggled again.

"What?" he asked with an innocent look.

"You like Spongebob?" I asked.

"I love it! You like Barney?" he retorted, laughing at _MY_ boxers.

We laughed at each other for a while, then we continued to watch "Deal or NO Deal'.

The woman now had 2 cases remaining. 3, including her own with the amounts of 1, 10, 000 and 1,000,000. She also had an extremely high bank offer. She picked a case to be opened and I knew something bad was going to happen.

Sure enough, when the case was opened, there was the 1,000,000. I groaned and heard Edward do the same too! I turned to smile at him and found him already looking at me.

It felt so right being here with him. I tried hard to ignore the warm tingly feeling I was feeling as I looked into his eyes.

"Bella?"

"Hmmm?"

"Will you be my partner for the piano contest?"

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Please Review and tell me what you thought! :D

**jojoStarr**


	10. Chapter 10 Progressing Relationships

**Heyy! I just want to thank you guys for all the smily faces i received for the last chapter. They were pretty darn awesome! cough zsa zsa lynn, Icy Cullen, chinmayee, lildevil76, and mcarp591! Also, thanks to the new people who reviewed, i liked knowing what you thought of chapters:)**

**Cantante Bello: Is Bella going to try to play her lullaby (if that is what it is)? And are they going to perform her lullaby?**

yea, that's what Edward and her are working on for the contest

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, except for Jayden, but i'll be disowning him after a few chapters. (hint hint)**

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Progressing Relationships

"Are you sure about what you're asking Edward? Because you really could win the contest by yourself."

He nodded and gave me a pleading look. Now how was I suppose to refuse when he looked so cute?

I sighed "Ok-ay"

"What was that you were trying to play in class today Bella?"

"Ahh…I don't know yet. It was just some unknown tune I was humming in the shower that day you decided it would be wise to steal my clothes."

I watched as a hint of red rose up his cheeks. Edward blushed!

"I think we should use it. I mean I only heard the little part you played today but it sounded really sweet and calming. It was almost like a-"

"A lullaby" I added smiling.

"Exactly. I'm sure I could get my mom to get us a piano so we could practice in our free time."

_That reminded me…_

"Really? And how would your mom do that?"

"Ah" I had caught him. I watched his eyes look up as if he was trying to think of something to say.

"Edward? Who exactly is your mom? And don't lie to me!"

"Her name is Esme."

"Esme?" I urged.

He sighed. "Esme Cullen."

"Geez Edward, why didn't you tell me your family owned one of the top universities in the nation? I actually already knew."

"You did?"

"Well yeah, first that woman at the housing office goes Mr. Cu-, then Alice almost said it but you interrupted her, and then you tell me this room was especially reserved for you. If you were trying to keep it a secret, it didn't work because I had it figured out by the time you cut of Alice. I just thought I would wait for you to tell me when you were ready."

He looked at me wearily. "I don't mind telling you that now, but others try to take advantage of me because of that. You know, they'll suck up to me so I can get them favors and things. I wanted to see if you would still like me if you didn't know."

I smiled. "You know Edward, you can be sweet when you want to be, and it's the same if you decide to be mean."

He chuckled. "I know." Then he got a mischievous look in his eyes, "Bella, what's that on your shirt?" he asked, pointing towards my forehead.

I reached my hand up to my head and then realized something "hey, this isn't my shirt!"

Then, before I could stop him, he reached over and began to tickle me. If there's another major flaw I have, it's that I'm extremely ticklish. I was bursting with laughter in no time and I grabbed his hands, trying to get him to stop. I ended up rolling off the couch, pulling him with me. I closed my eyes and was still laughing when he stopped.

I opened my eyes and gasped. His face was less than an inch away from mine and he had me pinned to the ground with each of his legs on either side of my body.

I found myself wanting to close that small gap between our faces but instead I ended up letting out a loud yawn in face.

He laughed. "Bed time?"

_How embarrassing._ I nodded and was about to push him off when something moved in my line of vision.

I gasped. Jacob was in the room. I watched as he caught Edward by surprise and flung him off me.

I sat up and began to inch away from him, trying to avoid the glare he was shooting my way. I looked behind him to see Edward slowly getting up but Jacob was oblivious because he was still staring at me.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he screamed at me.

"What do you mean?" I squeaked.

"What do I mean?! I walk in to find my girlfriend in her underwear with a guy who's also in his underwear on top of her! Who knows what you guys were planning on doing next?! Then you ask me what do I mean?!" **(AN: shequerida: this was partly your idea. i didn't make them kiss though cause that would make bella just as bad as jacob!)**

_Okay, now it was my turn to get mad. _I glanced behind him and noticed Edward was already up and inching his way backwards into the kitchen

"Okay! First of all," I started, getting up "get it right. These are boxers, not underwear. 2nd, I am your ex-girlfriend. Translation, girlfriend no more! 3rd, I can do whatever I want whenever I please! You're not the boss of me. And last, how the hell did you get in here?!"

He had seemed to become more and more outraged with each comment I made, but when I asked that question, he smirked. "You never locked your door. By the way, you don't really believe the jerk is going to change his ways because of you do you?"

I felt my body tense up. "How long have you been standing there Jacob, eavesdropping?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward tip toeing back out of the kitchen with a frying pan in his hand. I fought the urge to smile.

"It doesn't matter how long I've been out there, it only matters what I heard."

I smirked. "Well, I hope you've enjoyed listening and thinking about my life, because now, you'll have lots of time to think about yours, in jail."

He looked confused. "What?"

I smiled a sweet innocent smile and watched as Edward slammed the frying pan onto his head so hard, the sound filled up the room. Jacob was down in an instant.

"Call the cops"

I watched as Edward dialed the number and explained the situation to them.

I walked over to the couch farthest away from Jacob's body and sat down while Edward waited by the door.

A few minutes later, 2 cops and a paramedic rushed into the room.

I walked over towards them and answered some of the questions they fired at me.

After a while, they told us that Jacob would be conscious in a few minutes and he would remain with them over night, but they really couldn't keep him in jail because he hadn't caused any damage, which gave a lack of proof. I could feel disappointment cloud my face.

As they were about to leave, I watched one of the men give one last amused glance at me and Edward and I blushed when I realized he was looking at our boxers.

I closed the door, locked it, and turned to find Edward still standing where I'd left him. I practically ran over to him and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist.

"Thank you so much Edward" I murmured into his chest.

He returned the hug and murmured into my hair, "the pleasure was all mine."

* * *

I wasn't surprised to see Alice and Rosalie in my closet in my room when I woke up. I just put on the clothes they had laid out for me without argument and walked to the kitchen to get something to eat. 

I was, however, surprised to see a plate of waffles with a piece of paper beside it containing my name.

_Bella._

_See you at lunch._

_Edward._

I was shocked by his perfect handwriting. He never ceased to surprise me.

A huge grin spread across my face when I finished reading the note.

I grabbed my food and turned around to see Alice grinning like a fool and Rose with an amused expression on her face.

"What?" I asked.

Alice led me to a chair and I began to eat.

"Edward never makes anyone breakfast but himself" she said, as if that answered my question.

"Ok-ay" I said, wondering where she was going with this.

"Don't you get it Bella?" she asked.

"Get what?"

She threw her hands up in frustration. "You can be so clueless sometimes."

I shrugged and finished the rest of my waffles. I went to put my plate away but when I came back, Emmett, Jasper, and Jayden were already there.

"Bella!" Emmett boomed, picking me up into a bear hug, "long time no see!" He was such a big kid.

"Emmett, it's been less than a day."

"Still" he replied, putting me down and patting me on the head.

I grabbed my things and grabbed Jayden's hand as we walked out the door.

On our way to first period I told him about what'd happened last night but the only thing he seemed to remember was

"Edward Cullen knocked him out?" he seemed surprised.

I didn't know whether I should be annoyed by that statement or not.

"Yeah, he did. Why is that surprising?"

"Nothing." He was thoughtful for a moment as we walked into the classroom. I gave a sigh of relief when I noticed Jacob wasn't there.

During class, I had to nudge Jayden a couple of times cause he was falling asleep.

"What's the matter Jayden?" I asked.

"Basketball practice this morning. Coach is working us harder cause our first game is next week. I didn't get enough sleep." he murmured.

When class was over we walked out together. "Can I come meet you by your car after classes are over? I want to take you somewhere."

"Okay" I reached up to give him a quick kiss but it ended up lasting a little longer than intended.

The day was feeling absolutely great and I had a feeling Jacob's absence had something to do with it.

By the time lunch time rolled around, I was ecstatic. Everyone was already seated by the time I got into the dining hall. I grabbed some food and practically skipped to the table, plopping my self down into the seat next to Edward.

He smiled at me and I smiled back, saying a quick hello to everyone at the table. I listened quietly as they talked about last night's events. Edward must have filled them in.

I finished eating and was picking up my tray to go dump it when someone put their hand over mine.

"I'll do it" he said in that smooth voice of his.

I watched in awe as Edward picked up our trays and put them away. There was no way someone could change that fast. I looked at Alice and she was grinning at me.

"Ready to go?" Edward asked. I guess I was walking with him to class today. I nodded and picked up my things.

We spent the class time working on our piano piece. I had hummed it to him and he was adding a little something of his own to the song. I could tell it was going to sound great!

When class was over, we walked out the doors together to meet a different blonde than yesterday waiting outside.

"Eddie!" she squealed, flinging herself at him.

I rolled my eyes and looked to see a grimace on Edward's face as he struggled to pull her off him.

"What's wrong Eddie? Don't you want to come over to my dorm?" she asked, placing what I think she thought was a seductive smile.

I had to put a hand over my mouth to prevent myself from gagging.

I watched Edward rub the back of his neck and sigh. "Er…no thank you." Then he walked away from her!

I was in shock. He had actually turned her down. I turned to see the shocked expression on her face and burst out with laughter.

Edward looked at me with mock anger. "I didn't find it very funny thank you"

I calmed down. "Sorry, but you did great buddy" I said, patting him on his back.

He grinned and grabbed my hand to put it around his waist, and then he put his hands around my shoulders.

_Friends could hold each other like this right?_

However, I dropped my hand when our dorm building came into view. He, seeing Jayden by my car, dropped his hand too. He took my books from my hands and waved good bye. I sighed and waved back.

"So where are we going Jayden?" I asked getting into my car.

"I want to show you my place. I share and apartment with a friend of mine a little bit away from campus."

"Okay." I followed his directions and pulled up in front of a gorgeous apartment complex.

"This place is beautiful, how do you afford it?" I questioned, examining the exterior.

"You haven't even seen the inside yet. My parents pay for it."

We took the elevator up and the apartment inside was even more beautiful. It was very spacious.

"Come on, let's watch T.V." he said, pulling me over to the couch in front of the T.V.

"Okay, but I have to get back soon, I've got homework."

He nodded in understanding. There was a Psych marathon going on, my all time favorite show, so I ended up staying a little longer than expected. We were both laying on the couch, me with my head on his chest, and we were laughing our heads off.

I snuck a look at the time and my eyes practically bulged out of my brain.

"Holy Crow! It's 11:00 pm already?!" I started to sit up but he pulled me back down, cupped my face in his hands, and started trailing kisses on my neck, slowly making his way to my mouth. By the time he reached my mouth I was extremely eager and threw myself into the kiss with a little more force than necessary. I could feel him smiling.

Before I knew it, we were getting so lost in the kiss I had to remind myself to pull back and breathe. I smiled.

"Come on Jayden, we have to get going. You still have to get your car from campus" I reminded him.

He groaned when I pulled him up.

We got into my car and I sped back to campus with one of my hands in Jayden's the entire way.

I pulled into my spot and climbed out, giving Jayden a quick goodbye kiss before I jogged to my dorm, while he headed for his car. I was extremely eager to get to my dorm and I had a feeling it had something to do with seeing Edward again.

I opened the door to find Edward laying on the floor doing his homework. He looked up to stare at me as I walked in. He looked sad.

I quickly took off my shoes and rushed to sit down beside him. "What's wrong Edward?"

He smiled, but it looked forced. "Nothing" he replied, looking down.

I lifted his chin with my finger and gazed into his eyes, trying to find my answer. "Please tell me Edward?" I asked batting my eyelashes at him.

He smiled, "Well, when you put it that way…and you did promise to help…" I could feel a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach at that last phrase.

He sat up and faced me.

"Go on" I urged.

"Well, there's this girl…" _I knew it! _"that I think I really like."

_He'd already found someone_! I couldn't help but feel a little jealous_. She must be beautiful._

"She's gorgeous" _ah, there it was._

He was still talking, "very smart. I haven't known her for very long though but my feelings towards her are very strong. I'm afraid she'll think I'm creepy. I mean, I'm even creeping myself out. These feelings are all new to me."

I scoffed. "Is that the only problem? Because if it is-"

"Wait" he cut me off, "let me finish. That isn't the only problem. The biggest problem is that she already has a boyfriend and she seems to like him a lot" he said this gazing into my eyes as if searching for something. Whatever it was, I don't think he found it because he looked down with a sigh and asked "What should I do?'

I was feeling extremely jealous of this unknown female at the moment even though I clearly had no right to be. But I did know one thing, and it was that I had to make sure Edward was happy.

"Well Edward, I think you should hang around her more and just show her what a real gentleman you are. Be the real you, be yourself around her, and if you guys are meant to be together…then it will happen" I added sadly.

He seemed to ponder that for a moment, and then he smiled. "You're right."

Then he did the most amazing thing. He pulled me into a tight embrace and whispered, "Thank you" into my hair.

I could hear my heart beating extremely loudly at his unexpected touch and I'm sure he could hear it because he chuckled.

What was it about him that made me go crazy?

I sighed and pulled away. "Well Edward, now it's time for me to ask you for help."

"Yes?" he asked smiling.

"Are you any good at Calculus, because I am in dire need of some help?"

"Well go get your books then and come back here so I can help you."

Edward was really smart. I would never have guessed it before, but he was able to help me with every single one of my assignments.

We finished and I stood up to go to the bedroom and he to the couch.

"Goodnight Edward"

"Night Bella."

"And Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're my roommate."

"I'm glad you're mine too" I replied smiling.

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**I know this chapter wasn't very eventful, but it is essential to the plot that you guys see how Bella and Jayden's relationship is progressing and you see a day with Bella and Edward as friends. The next chapter will have to show you Bella developing feelings towards Edward. That way, the chapter after that doesn't seem totally off! I am extremely excited to write the next chapter by the way. **

**Well, sorry for the long note.**

**Virtual cookie to anyone who can guess even close to what Jacob is up to at this time, considering he's not in school. i can give you a hint, it ain't good:)**

**REVIEW! **

**jojoStarr**


	11. Chapter 11 Movie Night

**Hey! Thanks again for all the awesome reviews! See, because of them my dad took off my grounding on the comp for one day so i could update! Yeaa**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing! Except Jayden, but not for long:)**

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**Movie Night**

Friday

I smiled. It was the last school day of the week. I was also smiling because Jacob hadn't been back to class for the rest of the week after the little incident. Now, I stood in the dining hall trying to find my friends. I was having a little difficulty…

"Bella!" Emmett's loud voice boomed over everyone else's.

_Oh there they are. _I chuckled as I started to walk towards them. Leave it to Emmett to announce my arrival. I looked at the table and realized the person I wanted to see wasn't there. I could feel my face fall. As I was getting closer, I felt like someone was staring at me. I looked to my right and noticed that there was a table of girls and I realized they had all been with Edward at some point or another. They were glaring at me. What was their problem?

As I passed their table I should have paid more attention because out of no where, came someone's feet, and I tripped over it as they'd planned and braced myself for the impact. It never came, for I felt those muscular arms, his muscular arms, catch me and bring me back up.

"Thanks Edward" I said smiling. That was a close one.

"No problem. You do have a tendency to fall over your own feet" he said chuckling as we sat down at our table.

"Oh, I don't think it was my feet I fell over" I muttered, pointedly glaring at the blonde who'd done it.

Edward noticed who I was staring at and sighed.

"Who is she anyways?" I asked out of curiosity. Or at least that's what I convinced myself it was.

"That's Lauren. Beside her are Tanya and Victoria. I can't remember the other's names."

I looked away from their table and began to pick at my food when I realized the table had gone silent. I looked up to see all eyes on me.

"What?"

"Are you in or not?" Jasper asked.

"In for what?" I asked confused.

Alice rolled her eyes. "We're going to see a movie tonight. You want to come?"

"Oh sure. Wait, it depends on what genre."

_Please don't say horror, please don't say_

"Horror."

I let out a low curse that no one was intended to hear, but I could feel Edward laughing beside me so I guess he did.

"You know, now that you mention it Alice, I can't go. I have a lot of homework to do. A huge English paper due next Thursday. I'm afraid I just can't fit a movie into my schedule" I was hoping she'd buy that. I wasn't completely lying, I really did have a paper due next Thursday.

"What's this Bella? Don't tell me you're scared of horror movies?!" Emmett boomed so loud I got quite some curious glances from people around.

I shot him a glare and crossed my hands in front of my chest.

"NO, I'm not scared."

"Then prove it" Alice said with a smile on her lips.

"Well, who would I go with? Jayden's got basketball practice" I grabbed at the last excuse I could think of.

Rose smirked. "Edward's not going with anyone, and since you guys are such good friends…"

I looked up at Edward and he was smiling down at me.

I sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll go."

"Of course you are!" Alice squealed. "Everyone meet at Bella and Edward's after school."

I stood up and waited for Edward so we could leave.

"You don't look too happy Bella" he noted.

"It's nothing." How was I supposed to explain to him that I always had nightmares after I watched scary movies? Well, he would find out tonight.

I was pretty distant throughout the class period and I think Edward noticed because as we were about to leave he said, "Bella if you don't want to go the movies with me it's all right."

I didn't have to look up to know he was lying, I could hear the hurt in his voice.

"Oh, I don't mind going with you Edward, but you'll find out why I'm acting this way in due time."

"Come on" he said, pulling me out the door. I stopped outside and faked being shocked.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Edward! Do you see any females with blonde hair lingering anywhere around here?"

He rolled his eyes and walked away from me.

I stopped pretending and ran to catch up to him.

I should have known better than to run, especially since Edward was in front and not behind me. Next thing I knew, my foot slipped and I ended up landing flat on my butt. Hard. I could feel the look of shock cross my face as I sat there and said "Ow!"

Edward turned around and my face or the position I was in must have looked funny because he burst out with laughter and didn't even offer to help me up!

I frowned and stood up. Alice wouldn't like the grass stains on the shorts when I got back. I brushed at my pants and walked past a still laughing Edward.

"I'm glad you find this funny" I muttered under my breath.

"Bella wait!" he said, grabbing my hand and I suppose attempting to calm himself down. "I'm sorry, please forgive me."

I wouldn't look at him so he lifted my face, forcing my eyes to meet his. The worry that etched his brows made me smile immediately.

"You're forgiven" I whispered.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Alice! I don't see why I have to dress up, it's only the movies! Can't I just wear jeans or something?" I whined like a three year old.

"NO! Now put them on" she pointed at the shortest shorts I have ever seen and a shirt that revealed a little more than I desired.

I sighed as she gave me a death glare and put the clothes on. How could someone so tiny have so much power over me?

As soon as she was done with my makeup, we went to the living room where everyone else was already seated.

I watched as Alice skipped over and grabbed Jasper's hand pulling him towards the door and Emmett lifted Rose off his lap to walk with her out the door. I followed behind them, with Edward close behind me.

"Are we taking your car?" I asked. He nodded.

I watched Emmett and Rose get into his jeep, and Jasper and Alice get into her Porsche. I was suddenly curious to see what kind of car Edward drove. When we stopped in front of a silver Volvo, I smiled. It was the perfect car for him.

Edward caught my smile "What? My car not good enough for you?"

"No, that's not it"

"Well, it's nothing like yours" he muttered, sneaking a glance at my car across the lot.

I laughed and sat in the leather seat.

We rode to the theater in silence, but it was a comfortable silence and the classical music in the background made me forget all the worries I'd had before.

When we got out of the car and were headed for the theater, I notice a run down building that looked vacant and out of place. But squinting, I saw a sign above it that said 'Bookstore'. (foreshadowing) My love for reading soon made its appearance and I found myself getting excited at the prospect of buying a new book later tonight.

"Hey Edward does that bookstore still run?" Although the sign was still lit, the inside of the building was dark. And I couldn't tell if it was because it was closed for the day, or just closed.

"No," he answered, glancing down at me curiously as if wondering why I'd be interested in it.

I was a little disappointed that it was closed, but when we walked into the movie theater, all thoughts left my mind and I suddenly remembered why I'd been nervous about coming tonight. I fidgeted while I watched Edward pay for our popcorn and drinks and when we walked into the room, I pointed to seats towards the back. That way, I couldn't make too big a fool of myself.

I watched Rose and Emmett get into the row before us, and Alice and Jasper into the row before them.

"What's this movie called?" I whispered to Edward as the lights darkened.

"I don't really know"

_Great. _I faced the front and got ready for the movie to begin.

At the beginning, there wasn't any immediate action and I actually found myself relaxing for a little. I should have known it was too good to be true.

Before long, I had a death like grip on the container of popcorn before me and I was shaking uncontrollably. An unexpected scream from the movie caused me to rip the stupid paper bucket down its side.

Edward, noticing this, took the bucket out of my hands and put in an empty seat next to him. I think he was laughing at me. I turned around and shot him a glare that caused him to immediately shut up.

I was now gripping the armrests like my life depended on it and my breathing was coming out in ragged sounds. _Why had I agreed to come?_

Another scream from the movie and I reached my hand and snatched Edward's in a vice like grip. All too late, I realized my actions and waited for him to drop my hand. He never did. Instead, he rubbed the back of it with his thumb, causing me to calm down a little.

I looked back at the screen once more, determined not to freak out again but what I saw made me give a heart wrenching scream. The sound of a saw turning on and the manical laughter as the villain cut off a screaming human's head was the cause of my screaming. I wasn't the only one who screamed, but I was the only one who shot out of my seat and bolted out the nearest exit.

I found a bench just outside the door and I sat down, pulled my knees up to my face, and wrapped my arms around myself. I couldn't get the image out of my mind and suddenly I knew what I'd be dreaming about tonight.

It wasn't long before I heard the theater doors close and felt those familiar arms wrap around me.

"Bella" he said, trying to untangle me from the position I was in, but I was frozen in fear. I heard him sigh and then I felt myself being lifted off the bench and placed on his legs.

I opened my eyes to find his face less than an inch away from mine and his emerald eyes penetrated into mine. I was about to put my head back down again but he caught my chin and forced me to look into his eyes.

"Bella, it's okay. It was just a movie" he said in that smooth voice of his. "Ok?"

I quickly nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck, buried my face in his chest, and instantly became calm as he rubbed soothing circles around my back. My ragged breathing returned to normal and my heartbeat calmed down, at least to as much as it could considering I was still in Edward's arms.

"There you go" he said, noticing my tense posture relax.

"Do you want to go back to the dorms?"

I gave a quick nod and he told me to hold on while he went and told the others, so they wouldn't worry about us.

He came back out, reached out his hand to help me up, and led the way outside.

I gave a sigh of relief when the cool night breeze hit my face and closed my eyes. I opened them to see Edward staring curiously at me and I quickly looked down, feeling the heat rise up to my cheeks.

We got into the car and I relaxed in the cool leather, muttering a few incoherent words as I drifted asleep.

I woke up to a rocking movement and realized I was being carried back to the room. I was vaguely aware of my actions as I changed into some pajamas and went under the covers. It wasn't long before the nightmare started:

_I was running full speed down a dark hallway. Looking for somebody, and listening for something. For who or what, I didn't know yet. _

_Then I heard it, the sickening sound of a saw being turned on and I knew that was where I was headed._

_I ran towards the sound and could now see the shadows on the wall. I watched as the saw was raised over the head of someone being held down. _

_NOO!! I was too late!_

_I turned the corner and watched the head roll out to meet me, while maniacal laughter filled my ears. _

_I looked down at the head and screamed._

"Edward!" I sat up in bed immediately and could feel the perspiration on my face. I got off the bed and dragged my blankets with me to the living room where I could hear him breathing softly.

I walked over to where he was sleeping and squeezed myself into the nonexistent space in front of him and pulled the blanket over us. I felt his arms wrap around me and I instantly fell asleep.

I felt the rocking movement and knew I was being moved again. I felt myself being slowly lowered unto the bed but just when he was about to leave, I caught his arm.

"No Edward, please stay" I mumbled before falling asleep.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I opened my eyes to see sunlight flooding the room. Memories of last night came rushing back to me, but one especially made me blush. I looked around the bed, it was empty. I'd asked him to stay with me hadn't I?

Worry etched my brow and I quickly stood up to go find him.

"Edward?" I called, rubbing my eyes to get rid of the sleep. He wasn't in the living room. I poked my head into the kitchen, "Edward?" he wasn't there either. Where could he be? I was just about to turn around and go back to the bedroom when I felt myself being lifted off the ground.

I screamed, memories of the movie rushing to my mind.

"Chill Bella, it's just me" he whispered into my ear.

"Edward! What'd you do that for? Where were you?" I questioned as he set me on top of the kitchen counter so we were eye to eye.

He chuckled. "I was in the bathroom. So is that what you meant by I'd find out the reason for your behavior in due time?"

I could feel the heat rising up my cheeks and I looked down, swinging my dangling feet back and forth.

"Edward, I'm sorry about ruining the movie for you last night."

"You didn't ruin the movie for me" he said smiling, "in fact, you made it quite interesting."

I groaned, "What did I do or say last night in my sleep?"

He frowned, "about that, you know you sleep walked to the couch to sleep with me?"

"I wasn't sleep walking." I watched his eyebrows rise in delight. "I did it on purpose. I had a nightmare and I had to make sure you were okay. Sorry if I bothered you."

"I didn't mind. But what do you mean you had to make sure I was okay?"

"My nightmare was about the movie. Except you were the one getting your head sawed off." I could see the amusement light up his eyes.

"You cared so much you came to sleep with me?" he asked smiling.

I reached up to rub the back of my neck and gave him a sheepish grin. Thank goodness Emmett chose that time to stalk through the door with Rose, Alice, and Jasper trailing behind.

"Oh my gosh Bella, what happened to you at the movie theater?" Rose asked walking into the kitchen.

"Nothing happened" I mumbled.

"Well it sure didn't look like nothing!" Emmett boomed from the living room. "I don't think I've ever seen someone run faster than you did out of that movie theater!"

I could feel my cheeks getting warmer and I ignored him to look at Edward.

"So what's for breakfast?" I asked smiling.

"I made pancakes. I'll take them to the living room and you can grab the syrup." He said, taking out a huge stack of pancakes out of the microwave and walking out of the kitchen.

I was about to jump down from the counter when I realized just how high up I was.

_Great. There's no way I can jump down without landing flat on my face._

"Bella what's taking you so long?" Edward called. "Emmett's already eaten half the pancakes by himself and without the syrup."

"Edward I need help" I called back.

He walked back into the kitchen, "help with what?"

I put out my hands towards him, "getting down" I said.

He laughed at me for a while before finally lifting me up and setting me on the ground.

"Thank you" I said, smiling up at him.

"Any time" he said grinning.

I walked over and snatched the last pancake off the plate before Emmett could take it.

"Jeez Emmett. I know Edward's a good cook and all, but you couldn't leave me more than one?"

He just gave me that boyish grin of his while running his hand through his curly hair guiltily.

"Bella are you going to the basketball game next Wednesday?" Jasper asked.

"Well, of course she's going" Alice replied for me.

"I am?" she looked at me like I was stupid.

"Well, yeah Bella. You're kind of dating the captain. How would that look if you weren't there?"

I glanced at Edward, and caught his eyes as he glanced at me.

She was right, I was dating the captain. But why did I feel so uncertain all of a sudden?

* * *

**Well, now that we see Bella's getting some feelings for a little somebody, what say you we get rid of a little someone:) I think the next chappie is what you've been waiting for, though I can assure you not to get your hopes up too high! (sorry I'm so evil)**

**still got some virtual cookies for anyone who guesses what Jake is up to!**

**Sorry if there's mistakes but i have a time limit since i'm still grounded and all. so what'd you think?**

**REVIEW! **

**jojoStarr**


	12. Chapter 12 Busted

**Thanks for the reviews everyone!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! That's right. Not even Jayden. :)

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Busted 

Wednesday (B-ball game day)

Sunlight filled the room as I opened my eyes, yawning and stretching. I got up, walked to the bathroom, took a quick shower, and put on the clothes Alice had laid out for me the night before.

I walked to the kitchen to find my Edward making breakfast just like he had been doing everyday this week.

I froze mid step. _Woah. My Edward? Where'd that come from?_

"Morning Edward!" I said as I walked to the living room and turned on the T.V.

"Good morning Bella" I watched him walk in with a plate containing bacon and eggs.

"Thanks Edward", I said as he sat down beside me. Something about him seemed a little off.

"What's wrong Edward?"

"What? Oh, nothing at all. What makes you ask?"

I searched his face and knew he was lying. I wonder what it was…

"So you excited to go to the game tonight?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Don't tell Alice, but not really. But I've got to support Jayden you know?"

He didn't reply.

We ate in silence that morning, something we'd never done before. Now I knew something was definitely wrong.

When I finished eating I went back to the room to grab my school necessities and waited in the living room for Jayden to come.

A few minutes later I heard his signature knock and I waved good-bye to Edward as I walked out.

"Excited for your game Jayden?"

"I guess, you're coming right?" I nodded. "Good, cause you're my good luck charm" he said in a sing song voice.

I laughed. "I'd better be."

"You want to come over for a little bit after school?" he asked.

"Sure, but mind if I bring my jump drive and use your computer? I've got an English paper due tomorrow and I haven't even started yet."

"Sure"

All the way from my dorm to class, random people were wishing Jayden good luck on the game. It started to get a little annoying when they started interrupting our conversations but…oh well.

At the end of the class he gave me a quick kiss on the forehead and told me he'd see me after school.

* * *

Classes just seemed to coast by as I waited for lunch time to roll around so I could see my friends.

By the time it arrived my stomach was making a few embarrassing noises so I quickly grabbed some food, sat by Edward, and began to eat.

The table was unusually quiet today. Even Emmett wasn't talking! When I was finished eating I was going to ask everyone what was up, but Alice interrupted me.

"Hey Bella, we'll meet at your place before the game so we can all go together okay?"

"Sure."

"Come on Bella", Edward said, standing up and putting his hand out to help me. I grabbed it and stood up, waiting for him to drop my hand, but he didn't do that until we reached class. Not that I wanted him to anyways.

We worked some more on our song and realized we only needed about one more week and we would be finished. When class was over, we walked back to the dorm together and parted ways.

Jayden was waiting for me at my car like he'd promised and we drove to his apartment. As soon as we pulled into a parking spot, I grabbed my jump drive out of my purse and hurried to his room. I would need as much time as possible to work on this paper.

I plugged the jump drive into his computer and began to work while Jayden took a nap.

A couple hours later, I was almost finished. However, it was time to go back so I resolved to finish it back at my room.

I stretched out my stiff fingers and stood up to go wake Jayden. I could hear him snoring softly from the couch.

"Jayden" I said, shaking him softly. He wouldn't budge.

I leaned in closer to his face and planted a kiss on his lips.

"Eww mom! What'd you that for?" he groaned, opening his eyes. "OH! Bella! My bad!"

I couldn't help laughing at him. "Come on. You have to get there early remember?"

He groaned as he stood up to go get his uniform while I waited patiently by the door.

As soon as I pulled into my parking spot I jumped out and ran towards my dorm, waving good luck to Jayden in case I didn't see him before the game.

Everyone was already at the room when I arrived so we just left. I stayed behind to walk with Edward.

When we arrived the place was almost filled, so we squeezed ourselves into a little corner towards the front.

As soon as we sat down, I could feel someone's eyes on me. So, when I looked towards the courts, I wasn't surprised to see Lauren, in a cheerleading uniform, glaring at me. I still hadn't figured out what I had done to make that girl hate me.

A few minutes later there was cheering as our basketball team ran in, with Jayden at the front. I saw him searching the crowd and as soon as he saw me, he blew me a kiss.

When the opponent's team came in, they're minuscule fan team gave out some feeble cheers. It was laughable.

It was a very odd game, because no one talked to each other. Everyone was so absorbed in it, including all my friends. I, not being a very big fan of basketball, began to feel myself getting drowsy.

Halfway into the game and we were leading by 18 points. I would say our team was good but all they pretty much did was pass the ball to Jayden. I think that was the name for one of their plays, 'Pass it to Jayden'.

He was very good and every so often he would look up at the stand at me and flash me a smile. It was on one of those times that Lauren looked at me, to Jayden, and back to me. Then she frowned. I wonder what that was about.

By the time 4th quarter rolled around, it was pretty evident that we were the winners. But we still had to stay till the end. My eyes were getting heavier by the minute and I could feel my head tilting over to the side. My eyes would snap shut then a whistle from the game would wake me back up. It got to be so much even Edward noticed, so he pulled me to him and let me lay my head on his legs.

I heard the final whistle ring and I shot up in my seat. I looked at the scoreboard and realized we'd won by 38 points. What an embarrassing loss for the other team.

Alice was jumping up and down and screaming her head off. I joined in the cheering half-heartedly.

I saw Jayden motioning for me to come down and meet him. So, I ran down and jumped into his open arms.

"Good job Captain!" I congratulated him.

"Why thank you. It must have been because I had my good luck charm here!"

I giggled.

"I'll see you later; I'm going to go sleep. And I think you need to too."

I blushed; embarrassed that he had noticed me falling asleep at his game.

"Okay. Bye!"

We ended up being one of the last people to leave since Alice just **had **to congratulate each player individually. Emmett and Rosalie had already left, so Edward, Jasper and I stood aside and waited for her.

By the time we got back, I was exhausted and passed out on one of the love seats while Edward lounged on the big sofa.

* * *

I opened my eyes, snuck a glance at the clock and realized that an hour had passed since I got back. I also remembered that I had my English paper to finish. 

I walked over to my purse and began to search for my jump drive. Not finding it, I realized I had left it in Jayden's computer. I slapped my forehead in frustration, how stupid of me.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked from the sofa.

"I forgot my jump drive at Jayden's apartment and I still have to finish the assignment and turn it in tomorrow. Look, I'll be right back. I have to go get it quickly."

"Okay"

I hurried to the elevator and jogged to my car. I stepped on the accelerator and was at his apartment in no time. I took the elevator up to the 3rd floor and walked to his room.

As I was approaching his door, I could see a sliver of light passing through it. I then realized that it was open. I was about to push it open when I heard a voice. Her voice. Lauren. What was she doing here?

I quietly pushed it open the rest of the way and looked towards the sound of her voice. My jaw dropped and my eyes got wide at what I saw.

There, on the couch was Lauren straddling Jayden in the middle of an intense make out session.

I could feel the pain in my heart, the anger in my mind, and the tears threatening to spill at his betrayal. I had trusted him and he had wronged me in the exact same way Jacob had.

I quickly composed my features and decided I wouldn't let anyone see how much I was affected by this.

I walked toward the computer where my jump drive was still plugged in and began saving my paper so I could take it out.

"Isabella Swan?" Lauren sneered. _Oh, so someone has finally noticed I'm here!_

I ignored her. I could hear shuffling and a thump on the ground. I assume it was Lauren because a second later she said, "Ow!"

I could feel him standing beside me, but I didn't look up. _Let him speak first._

I pulled out my jump drive out of the computer and turned to walk out.

"Bella wait", he said, grabbing my arm.

I kept my face composed and turned around to look at him. He looked like a kid who'd been caught stealing candy.

"What is it?" I asked in the most polite tone I could muster.

He seemed baffled by my tone. Perhaps he'd expected me to be angry because his mouth fell open, and then snapped shut. I had to resist the urge to laugh because that action had made him look like a fish!

He finally gathered his voice and said, "just hold on and let me explain. I mean, I barely even know her she-"

I cut him off and smiled sadly, "You know, it doesn't make you look any better if you're trying to tell me you were making out with a complete stranger."

He opened his mouth to speak again but I held up my hand to stop him.

"You know Jayden, all I came to get was my jump drive but I got a little more than I bargained for. I got the truth." I looked behind him to see Lauren smirking at me.

"But it's no big deal" I continued calmly "it's happened before and I dealt with it. So, I'll deal with it now. I just can't believe Edward was right." I turned to leave and heard his footsteps behind me.

"Don't follow me. Good-bye Jayden." I left him frozen in the middle of the room and waved at Lauren. "Have fun and don't forget to lock the door" she seemed shocked by how calmly I was taking this too. If only she knew.

I stepped into the elevator and let the tears I'd been holding back run down my face. I got into my car and slammed the door with a little more force than necessary.

Putting the jump drive on the passenger seat, I pulled out of the parking lot, ignoring the screeching protests of my tires. I knew I should slow down, but my anger took over and I accelerated instead, going at a speed I'd never gone on before.

_How could he?!_

My mind was filled with thoughts as I tried to figure out for how long he had been cheating on me. _I hardly know her my butt, _he must think I'm stupid.

I was so distracted, that I didn't notice the headlights of another car coming my way until it was too late and I was going too fast to stop. I tried to swerve away but I knew it wouldn't matter.

My eyes widened in horror and only one person was on my mind as the other vehicle slammed into my side of the car and everything went black.

Edward

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**Sorry i didn't update in a while. Our little snow vacation is over so i'm back at school, i'm almost finished with basketball season and track started this week too. so, i'm getting home late and things. but today, there was a hailstorm and everyone was sent home early. That's why i'm updating.**

**Also, you guys better be thanking Alicemakesmelaugh for getting my dad to officially unground me from the computer. She sent a review begging my dad to unground me and it worked! Now i just have to make sure i don't do something that stupid again.**

**Thanks again for reviewing guys. so what'd u think of this chapter?**

**jojoStarr**


	13. Chapter 13 The Hospital

**AN: okay, i seem to have confused a few of you with the last lines of the previous chapter. all it was: Bella's driving back to the dorms at a very fast speed and she's not paying attention to the road because she's trying to figure out if jayden had been cheating on her this whole time. it is then that she sees the headlights approaching her but she's going too fast to stop and she can't get out of the way in time. as she collides with the other car, she THINKS about Edward. **

**I apologize ahead of time for any mistakes in this chapter. I didn't really double check it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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**The Hospital**

"Look at that, the monitor, it's beeping faster."

"Push that button for the doctor."

_Those voices sounds so familiar. Why do they sound so far away?_

"Honey look! Her eyes are moving!"

_Oh my gosh! _I blinked my eyes open and looked towards the voices.

"Mom? Dad?" I could hear the surprise in my own groggy voice.

"Honey! She's awake!" my mom said, tears flowing freely down her face.

I smiled. "Well of course I'm awake. Why are you crying?" I asked, trying to sit up, only to find myself pulled back down by a large amount of wires leading from my body.

I took in my surroundings. A small white room, a single window with sunlight streaming through it, a sofa, and a few chairs. "Dad, where am I?"

"You don't remember what happened last night?" Charlie asked.

I concentrated and memories of the accident flashed through my mind. "Oh"

I looked down to find my left leg bandaged up and I began feel pain radiating from it.

Then it hit me…

"Well, if you guys are all the way over here, how long have I been out of it and what time is it?"

"3 days, noon" said an unfamiliar voice. I looked to the doorway to see a tall man with blonde hair who looked slightly familiar.

"Hello Bella" he walking towards me, "I'm Dr. Cullen"

_Of course, he was Edward and Alice's dad! He looked a lot like Edward._

"Hey. So… I haven't woken up for 3 days?"

"No, we've kept you heavily sedated so that you wouldn't feel the pain as you were healing. You know, you were extremely lucky. I don't know how you survived this with only a broken leg. Especially since you weren't wearing you seat belt and going at at least 135."

_Uh-Oh_

"Isabella Marie Swan!"

"Yes dad?" _This is what I get for having a police officer as a father._

"I am so disappointed in you. You weren't wearing a seatbelt? And you were breaking the speed limit?"

"I'm sorry dad, I was just annoyed and in a hurry." But he was listening to me.

"I told you we shouldn't have gotten her that car. It goes too fast, and the temptation to speed was bound to catch her soon." He was saying to Renee.

_Oh, he better not be thinking what I think he's thinking._

"What? Dad, please don't take my car from me!" I whined.

He looked back at me. "Well, it's not like you'll be driving it anytime soon. It's in the garage getting fixed, and your leg's going to take a while to heal."

I groaned. Stupid.

Then I heard the most annoying sound…

"What is that annoying beeping sound?" I asked.

Dr. Cullen pointed to a screen, "your heart monitor"

"Well, it's annoying; can you turn it off now that we know I'm alive?"

He smiled. "Not yet."

It was at that precise moment that Alice skipped through the door and sat down on a chair by the window. She stared outside, not seeming to notice that I was awake.

"Alice" I called her. She froze for a second, then shook her head like she'd been hearing voices and continued to stare out the window.

"Alice!" I hissed.

She quickly glanced at me and looked away. Then her shot back quickly, her eyes wide with shock and a huge grin spreading across her face.

"Bella!" she squealed, jumping out of the chair and sprinting over to give me a hug.

I chuckled lightly.

"Bella! I can't believe it! You finally woke up! He's going to be so happy Bella!"

I froze. "He?"

"Yeah, Edward." I gave a sigh of relief, "He's been with you this whole time and wouldn't go home! I finally convinced him to go get something to eat just now."

"Edward's here?" I asked shocked.

Renee looked at Alice, "Is that the young man who was sitting in here when we arrived?"

"Yeah!" Alice said. I couldn't believe Edward had been here the whole time.

"You should have seen him Bella, when we got the phone call about you. I've never seen anyone get that pale so fast. I thought he was dead. Then the way he ran out of the building to his car! You'd think there was a fire. In fact, someone did ask us where the-"

"Alice", I said cutting her off. I was starting to feel uncomfortable hearing this. I mean, why would he care so much? "Where'd you say he is?" I asked.

"Right here" replied a velvet smooth voice.

I looked in the doorway and there stood Edward, looking as gorgeous as ever.

I made the mistake of looking into his emerald eyes and my breath caught.

"Bella?" Renee called looking worried, "why isn't your heart beating dear?"

I heard Alice snicker.

I took a deep breath and turned to glare at her. I turned back to look at Edward and noticed for the first time the dark shadows under his eyes.

"Come on Charlie" Renee said, standing up, "let's go get something to eat." She looked from me, back to Edward, and smiled.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice pushing Dr. Cullen out the door until finally, it was just the two of us.

I watched him close the door and take the seat Renee had been seating in previously by my side.

We just sat there, staring at each other, until I decided to break the silence.

"Edward? Are you okay?" I whispered.

He raised his eyebrows at me, "YOU are the one in the hospital bed and YOU are asking ME if I am okay?" he asked disbelievingly.

I smiled. "Edward, you look like you haven't slept in days"

"Taken a look in the mirror lately yourself Bella?" he joked.

I frowned, realizing I must look like crap. "No seriously" I said. "If you've been here this whole time, where have you been sleeping?"

"I haven't been" he murmured "I promised myself I wouldn't until you woke up."

_I was shocked! This Edward seemed so much more different than the one I met on the plane._

I smiled and put out my hand for him to hold. He, while smiling at me, reached for it. As soon as our palms touched, the beeping of my heart monitor went crazy!

I groaned. Edward turned and frowned at it. "Why is it doing that? Perhaps we should call the doctor?"

I looked at him with raised eyebrows. Was he serious? Thank god he was oblivious.

"I don't know why it's doing that" I lied. "I don't think we need the doctor though."

He turned his attention back to me, "if you're sure."

I nodded.

"So do you want to talk about why you broke the speed limit by at least 90mph?"

I felt my body tense up and he, feeling it, began to rub his thumb on the back of my hand. I felt myself instantly relax.

"I promise I will tell you Edward, just not now okay?" I asked pleadingly.

He nodded understandingly and we sat in comfortable silence till we heard the voice…

"MOVE! GET OUT THE WAY PEOPLE! GOODNESS, YOU'RE SLOWER THAN A HERD OF SNAILS TRYING TO GET ACROSS BUTTER!"

I instantly smiled at his voice and I heard Edward chuckling beside me.

"Sir, you can't go in at this moment, she may be resting" a woman's voice, probably a nurse, said to him.

I wanted to go out there and kick her. I really wanted to see him.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T GO IN?!" he boomed. "THAT'S MY LITTLE SIS IN THERE!"

I laughed again. _He's good._

"Oh!" the nurse sounded surprised. "Well, in that case, you may go ahead."

"THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT!" I could hear the smile in his voice.

A second later, the door almost came off its hinges as he slammed it in his eagerness to get to me.

There was a huge boyish grin on his face as he screamed "Bella!"

I laughed. "Emmett!" and spread my arms open so he could pull me in for a bear hug.

"How's it going 'big bro'?

He looked at me sheepishly, "sorry about that but they wouldn't let me in any other way. Something about being too loud and disrupting your healing process."

I faked shock. "No Way!" I said sarcastically.

I don't think he heard it because he ran his hand through his hair and said, "I know! That's what I said. These crazy hospital workers need to get their brains checked!"

I shook my head laughingly and heard Edward cracking up beside me.

Emmett must have realized that we weren't the only ones in the room because he looked at Edward for the first time, then me, then back to Edward.

"Am I interrupting something here?" he asked, raising his eyebrows and wiggling them suggestively.

That cracked me up again. "No. Where's Rose and Jasper?"

"Oh, they're eating." He said. "So Bella, I hear you did 135, how was it?" he asked grinning.

Silly Emmett. Of course he'd want to know about that of all things!

"To tell you the truth, I was so distracted; I didn't even know what speed I was going. Plus, in my car, it's not like you can feel how fast you're going either" I said looking down.

"What were you so distracted by that you were going so fast?" he asked.

I looked up quickly and frowned. "Nothing"

He then crossed his arms across his chest and sent me a glare. I knew he wouldn't let it go. "fine, I'll tell you later okay?"

He nodded. "Well, I just came to say hey. I'll leave you two to continue whatever you were doing before I so rudely interrupted" he added, winking, and turned to walk out. Then he froze. Standing in the doorway was a short woman in a nurse uniform with one arm on her hip and the other wagging a finger at Emmett. She shook her head disapprovingly at him and motioned for him to come over. Emmett glanced at me, winked again, and walked towards her.

"You, are in big trouble mister" she said, glaring at him. "I checked the records and Ms. Swan does not have an older brother."

I heard Emmett gasp and put his hand over his heart. "ARE YOU SUGGESTING I'M LYING?! DO YOU NOT SEE THE RESEMBLANCE?!"

"Well, I uh…sir" the nurse stammered.

I heard Emmett sniffle. "MOMMY ALWAYS SAID SHE WAS PRETTIER THAN ME, BUT THIS, THIS IS TOO MUCH!" he screamed, snuck a smile at me, and ran out while pretending to cry.

"Oh dear" the nurse said walking out. "I better make it up to that poor boy."

I looked at Edward and we both burst out with laughter.

"That Emmett sure is something" I managed to get out. He nodded.

After we had calmed down I looked back up at Edward to find him already looking at me with some kind of emotion in his eyes.

He lifted his hand and pushed a stray piece of hair behind my ear. As he pulled his hand back, it grazed my skin leaving behind a tingly feeling and the stupid heart machine went crazy again.

This time, I felt under my shirt and found the wire by my heart. I yanked it off and tossed it onto the floor.

"Why'd you do that?" Edward asked frowning.

I shrugged. "Edward, you need to get some sleep. You know that I'm okay now." I said looking at him.

"You want me to leave?" he asked, looking hurt.

"NO!" I said a little too quickly and a little too loudly. He smiled.

"You can sleep here." I pointed to the sofa the edge of the room.

He smiled. "Okay, I will."

I could feel myself getting drowsy again.

"Well, looks like I'd better let you sleep" he murmured.

I nodded "and you sleep in here."

I smiled as I heard his voice humming the lullaby we'd been working on.

"Sleep Bella" he whispered into my ear.

--_e_--

I don't know how much longer I slept but when I woke up and glance at the window, there was still a little sunlight streaming through the window. I'm guessing it was just getting to the evening.

I looked towards the sofa and was happy to see Edward sleeping.

I was staring at the ceiling, drawing patterns with my eyes when I heard my door opening. I figured it was probably the doctor or nurse coming to check on me so I continued staring at the ceiling.

"Bella" my eyes snapped to the door as soon as I recognized the voice. I froze.

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**Don't know when next I'll update, but i'll be working on this during computer class in school since i don't anything in there anyways. so...probably the middle of next week.**

**Also, the reason i was grounded is in this chapter. I wonder if you can guess what it is:)**

**Who's at the door? I can think of three possible choices but really, who would bella be afraid to see:)**

**I LOVE U MY AWESOME REVIEWERS:)**


	14. Chapter 14 Confessions

**44 reviews for the last chapter! that's the most ever! I'm going to have to come up with a better adjective than 'awesome' to describe you guys!**

**The three people I Bella wouldn't want to see would be Jacob, Jayden, and Lauren. But...Bella is only afraid of...**

**There was a lot more i wanted to happen in this chapter but as i began to type it, i realized it would be too long. So, i stopped at 10pages. I'll be working on the other half of it later when i have more time.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight series or any of it's characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

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Confessions

I watched as he made his way into the room and stood at the foot of my bed.

"What are you doing here Jacob?" I sneered.

_Seriously, can't this guy take a hint? How many times have I told him to stay away?_

"Tsk. Tsk. Bella. Where are your manners? I merely came to make sure my girlfriend was still alive" he said smiling.

"My goodness Jacob, when will you get it through your thick arrogant head that we are no longer dating? I'm getting a little tired from reminding you all the time" I said in frustration.

I watched as his brows furrowed and anger became eminent on his face.

"Now you listen-" he started, pointing his finger at me.

"No, you listen" Edward growled getting up from the sofa, surprising us both. I hadn't even realized he was awake and I don't think Jacob had noticed anyone else in the room.

"I believe Bella has made it clear time and time again that she no longer enjoys or requires your company. It would make things so much easier for all of us if you were to leave and never come back" Edward said, while walking to stand in front of Jacob.

"Now why would I want to make things easier for anyone?" Jacob growled back in his face.

"Trust me. You would" Edward replied in a low menacing tone that sent a rush of adrenaline through my body and chills up my spine.

I don't think I was the only one affected by his tone because Jacob seemed frozen in fear for a second before he replied. "Who are you anyways? It's not like you're her boyfriend."

There was silence in the room as no one spoke. I took this time to slowly move my hand to the side of my bed and push what I hoped was the button that beeped for the doctor.

"Wait, you're not her boyfriend right?" Jake asked, a desperate note in his voice.

I wondered what Edward would say. I looked up at him, waiting for his reply.

He simply folded his arms across his chest and smiled. "What if I was?" he challenged.

I watched Jacob's hands curl into fists as he took a threatening step towards Edward, who by the way, was still standing there smiling. That was a very odd reaction in my opinion.

The air was really tense as Jacob attempted to stare down Edward and I found myself starting to sweat and hoping the doctor would get here soon.

"Bella?"

_Thank you. Thank you. Thank you._

I turned to the door to see all my friends, parents, and the doctor in the doorway watching Edward and Jacob with weary expressions.

"We were talking with the doctor when you beeped for him. Is everything all right?" Charlie asked.

"Jeez Dad, everything is just peachy over here" I said sarcastically and pointed at Jacob as everyone walked into the room. "What is HE doing here?"

"Bella, he just came to see you is all. I told the nurse it would be okay for him to visit you because you guys were good friends."

I snorted at the friends part and watched as Jacob turned to give Charlie a grateful smile.

"Dad, you let Jacob in here, I want you to show him the way out."

"Now Bella, you can't still be mad at him from that little incident months ago. Give the boy a chance for crying out loud."

I'm sure my eyes popped out of my head at that one. Was this guy seriously my dad? I looked around to see my friends with shocked expressions on their faces as well. Okay, so I wasn't the only one.

"Dad, I don't know what Jake's been telling you, but I'm sure it hasn't been the truth. Did he tell you that he applied for school here so he could stalk me? And that he threatened to kidnap me?" I aksed.

"I did no such thing!" Jacob said glaring at me.

I watched Charlie's facial expression change from shock to disbelieving.

"Bella, I do not appreciate you lying. How could Jacob be going to your school when he's been in Phoenix for more than a week now?"

_So that's where he'd been this whole time. Why'd he go all the way down there?_

"and, why would he be trying to get you back when he has a girlfriend" Charlie continued.

"A girlfriend?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at Jacob and watched what looked like a wince flash across his face.

"Yes, he's dating your friend Jessica Stanley. He brought her over for dinner the other day" Renee said.

_Why would Jessica date Jacob even after I told her he had cheated on me? Why in the world would Jacob want to date her? He never showed any interest in her._

"So you think I'm making all this up?" I asked. Charlie nodded. I looked at Renee for help but she was looking at anywhere but me. "But Dad, he couldn't have been in Phoenix all along. He was here just a couple of weeks ago and he got arrested. You can even ask my friends!" I saw Alice nodding her head furiously at Charlie.

"Uh-huh! He was here! And Edward had to knock him on the head with a frying pan!" she said.

"A frying pan?" Charlie asked in monotone. _I'll admit, the frying pan part sounded a bit absurd now. _"Bella, having your friends lie for you is not the way to go with this. Now you are going to apologize to Jacob and you guys are going to become friends again. Am I clear?" he asked, while I watched Jake smile.

"No" I said.

"Good. Now...Wait, what did you say?" Charlie asked startled.

"I. Said. No." I said, watching Charlie's face turn red and Renee give me a surprised expression. "I want Jacob out of this room and I want him out now" I said calmly.

"Allow me" Emmett said, casually getting up from where he'd been sitting next to Rosalie and begin to walk towards Jake.

"Now, hold on Emmett" Dr. Cullen said, "I'm sure he can get out by himself."  
"You're making me leave?" Jake asked, surprised.

"The patient's demands come first. And frankly, I must admit that right now, you are a nuisance. It is now required for you to leave."

Jacob turned to my dad, throwing him a pleading look but my dad was too busy scowling at me. We all watched, waiting for Jacob to walk out.

"Jacob, I think it's best you leave the room. We don't want any trouble and you can go wait in the car" Charlie said.

I watched with a satisfied smirk as Jacob walked towards the door with hunched shoulder. But as soon as he got to the doorway, he turned and flashed me a mischievous grin before walking way.

I blinked. Had I imagined that?  
"I saw it too" Edward murmured from beside me.

"What did it mean?" I asked.

"I don't know. But it didn't look good."

"Bella" Charlie said, "you and Jacob will make up eventually and we will have to talk about this later."

I ignored him and turned to Dr. Cullen. "So, when can I leave?"

"Today if you wish. The impact your leg received from being crushed isn't too bad, so a cast and crutches should be sufficient. However, if you feel pain anywhere else, you must come back and get it checked. I'm a little skeptical about your leg being your only injury."

"Okay. I want to leave now."

As I watched him fit a cast onto my leg, and trying to ignore the pain that coursed from my leg all the way to my waist, I realized I had forgotten to ask him an important question.

"Dr. Cullen, who's car did I collide with?"

"It was a Mr. Anderson if I remember correctly. He was on his cell phone going home from work and wasn't entirely paying close attention to the road so the accident wasn't completely your fault."

"Oh. Is he allright?"

"Yes, he didn't receive any major injuries. Just a few bruises from broken glass" he said, smiling reassuringly up at me. "He was able to leave the next day."

I gave a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"Hmm" was his reply. I stood up so he could set a pair of crutches to the right height.

"You are free to go now Ms. Swan. But don't hesitate to call me if you encounter any problems and take things easy."

"Thanks" I said smiling as Edward helped me out the door and everybody else followed behind.

As I hobbled into the parking lot I turned around to face my parents.

"When are you guys leaving?" I asked.

"We have to leave right now" Renee admitted sheepishly "we didn't know we were going to stay this long."

"Oh" I said.

"I'll miss you" I said as she gave me a hug.

"Me too" she whispered.

"Did Jacob come with you?" I asked Charlie as I gave him a hug.

He nodded. "He's probably in the car. Bye Bella."

Last time it was me walking away. Now I stood watching as they walked in the opposite direction towards their car. Then I felt a reassuring arm rest on my shoulder and I looked up to see Edward looking at me.

"Come on. The others have already left" he said. And I noticed for the first time that my friends had already left. I leaned into Edward as he led me towards his Volvo. He took my crutches and put them in the backseat then steadied me into the passenger side before making his way around to the driver's seat.

"Thanks Edward" I said as he drove towards the dorms.

"For what?" he asked.

"Well, for saving me from Jacob again, and this."

He smiled. "That's what friends are for right?"

"Right." _You are a better friend to me that Jayden ever was... _

As we pulled into the parking lot I noticed my friend's cars were there already. I sighed. They would probably be waiting for us in my dorm and be demanding an explanation the minute I walked through the door. And that's exactly what happened.

As soon as Edward opened the door Alice flew towards me and ushered me to a couch while I tried to maintain my balance.

"Well, this is later Bella" Emmett said "so you better be telling us why you were in an accident."

I was feeling extremely uncomfortable with all of their eyes on me and began to fidget in my seat. Edward, who was sitting beside me, grabbed one of my hands and did that wonderful calming trick of his.

I sighed. "I went to Jayden's apartment after the basketball game to get my jump drive from his computer because I had left it there and I needed it for the next day. When I got there, I saw something that annoyed me and when I got into my car I was distracted by what I had seen but also a little hurt. Hence the speeding and not paying attention to the road" I finished.

"What did you see Bella?" Edward asked, looking into my eyes.

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes as I thought of what I'd seen. I wasn't hurt because he'd cheated on me, I was just sad about my bad luck with choosing guys. I had put myself out there after all and I had trusted him but look where that'd got me. Now I knew I wouldn't be dating again for a while. At least not until I found someone I was a hundred percent sure wouldn't leave me.

"Jayden was making out with Lauren on his living room couch" I said as the tears fell down my cheeks. I had expected them to gasp or be shocked but all I saw through my blurry eyes were knowing looks being passed to one another.

Then it hit me…

I gasped. "You knew? All of you knew he was cheating on me?"

Alice looked up at me in alarm. "Wait, we didn't know he was cheating on you. We just overheard Lauren telling her friends that she was going to make you pay for taking Edward away from her. We didn't know what she was going to do, but I guess that was what she meant. We anticipated it to happen during lunch since that would be the only time she would see you but when nothing happened we figured maybe she'd forgotten and we didn't want to bother you with it."

_So because Edward wouldn't make out with her whenever she wanted, she had decided to take away my boyfriend? But still, he had responded to her._ I reminded myself. _He'd looked like he'd been enjoying himself._

I sighed and wiped my eyes. I was a bit surprised at myself at how calmly I was taking this (not including the car crash). Maybe Jayden hadn't meant as much to me like I thought. It must have been just a crush.

"Alice, I want to go to sleep. Could you help me?" I asked, blushing slightly at my request.

She realizing what I meant, stood up. "Of course."

I stood up, grabbed my crutches, and hobbled my way to the bedroom behind her. I closed the door and she helped me get the cast off and my pajamas on before leaving and promising to return tomorrow. When I argued about her going to school, she reminded me it would be Sunday.

I heard the others leave and I lay in the bed, going over everything that had happened. I realized that Jayden hadn't even had the courage to come visit me at the hospital. And it was even his fault I'd gotten into the accident in the first place. I was pondering over this intently and didn't notice Edward walk into the room and sit beside me on the bed.

"Bella" his voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "I'm extremely sorry about what happened between you and Jayden."

"There's nothing you have to be sorry for Edward" I said, smiling at the concern visible in his eyes. We stared at each other for a while in comfortable silence and I found myself getting lost in his eyes. They were so inviting and filled with some sort of emotion. I found I had to keep reminding myself that he only cared for me because we were friends.

I snapped out of my trance when I noticed him getting up and heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"To go sleep" he replied looking down at me.

"Oh. Well, you want to sleep here tonight?" I asked, hoping he would agree. I needed someone to be with me tonight.

"You sure?" he asked.

I thought for a moment. He wouldn't try anything. "Yes, I'm sure."

He smiled and walked to the other side of the bed, laid down, and pulled the blanket over us. I frowned at the huge space between us and tried to inconspicuously slide myself towards him. I ended up twisting my broken leg in an odd direction and I winced while moaning out loud in pain.

Edward immediately sat up and held me in his arms. "What's wrong?"

I pointed towards my leg and could feel tears rolling down my cheeks. It felt like there was a fire on the inside of my leg.

He pulled me to him as he laid down and tried to comfort me. I relaxed into his arms, this is where I'd wanted to be after all, and felt the pain dwindling down.

"Hey Edward?"

"Yes Bella?" he whispered into my hair.

"How are things going with you and that girl you like?" I asked.

I immediately felt his body tense up next to mine and it was a few seconds before he replied.

"Things are fine" he replied cautiously, "actually I think they are getting a little bit better."

"Oh." I could feel my heart sinking at that comment. They would probably be together soon. Why did I care so much about it anyways? It's not like I had any feelings for him right? He was my friend and I had to be happy for him. The girl that got him would be extremely lucky.

"Bella what are you thinking?" he asked.

"Nothing."

He groaned. "I really would like to know what is going on in that pretty head of yours."

"I'm thinking that I'm happy for you that things are working out nicely" I wasn't completely lying.

He sighed and pulled me closer to him, burying his head in my hair.

"I am too. Goodnight Bella."

"Night" I whispered, while burying my head into his chest and tightening my arms around him. I wanted to remain like this forever but I knew I wouldn't be able to be with him like this much longer. As soon as he got this girl he was waiting for, things wouldn't be the same. I just had to cherish these moments for as long as possible. I guess it was good I wasn't with Jayden anymore. No way I could hold Edward like this and not feel guilty.

These sad thoughts flitted across my mind as I fell asleep in Edward's arms.

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**Yay! No cliff hanger today. You don't know how hard that was for me. For some reason, most of my chapters always end with cliffies.**

**Also, sorry I wasn't able to update sooner. I've had about four basketball games this week which determine if we're going to regionals and track practice added on to that so I'm getting home really late. I've had to be using computer class to do homework and study for tests instead.**

**If you didn't read the AN above thanking you for your reviews, here's another one because you guys made me really happy. THANK YOU SO MUCH:) **

**Also, I have to push the piano concert in this story back about a month or so because no way everything I want to happen can happen in one week.**

**jojoStarr**


	15. Chapter 15 Scary Alice

**Disclaimer: Don't own the twilight series or any of its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

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Scary Alice

I could feel the sunlight on my face as I became conscious but most importantly, I could feel a pair of arms wrapped tightly around my waist. I smiled, realizing who it was, but also remembering my reaction to first time he had held me like this. I opened my eyes and slowly turned around in his arms to find him already awake, and looking down at me.

"Good morning Bella", he said with an amused expression. It seemed like he was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Morning Edward?" I could feel my face scrunch up in confusion as I tried to decipher the expression in his emerald eyes. "Can I know what is so funny?"

He quickly composed his features and an innocent look came into his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"What happened? You're keeping something from me…"

"Stop being absurd Bella" he said, letting go of me and getting up from the bed, "we just woke up."

I looked up at him and couldn't stop the smirk that landed on my face.

"Pokemon?" I said, examining his boxers. "Edward, I can understand Spongebob, but this is too much. Has Alice seen these? She would have a heart attack!"

"Don't diss the boxers Bella. You're just jealous. And of course Alice has seen them. She knows every article of clothing I own. She just can't do anything about these because Grandma made them for me" he said with a grin.

I then recalled Alice telling me about the special connection he had with his Grandparents. Of course he would wear the boxers. But still…

I watched him walk around the bed to my side, then slowly descend until his face was less than an inch away from mine.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his cool, sweet breath fanning across my face.

I felt my mind blank for a minute before I fully comprehended what he had asked me.

"Ff…For what?" I managed to stutter, keeping my eyes away from his intense gaze.

I felt him put one arm behind my back and the other under my legs. Then before I knew it, he had lifted me up and was walking out of the room.

"For breakfast" he said with a smile as he set me down on one of the love seats in the living room. "Now what would you like?"

"I don't know, surprise me!"

As he walked into the kitchen, I reached for the remote control so I could turn on the T.V. It was just out of my reach, and I was almost there…

_Slam! _I almost fell out of the seat at the sound of the front door being slammed open. Only one person could make a grand entrance like that.

"Emmett! What'd you do that for?" I yelled at him as I struggled to get comfortable in the seat again without hurting my leg.

"Sorry" he said looking at me sheepishly. "But Rose told me to come make sure you guys were awake. We are going to the mall in one hour!"

"What?! Why?" I asked.

Emmett raised his hands in front of himself defensively. "I don't know. Don't yell at me! She says Alice hasn't been able to shop for at least three days because she was in the hospital with you!"

I looked at him confused. "So?"

I heard a gasp come not only from Emmett but from Edward as well. I turned to see him poking his head out of the kitchen doorway.

"Is there something I should know?" I asked.

Emmett shook his head at me. "Bella, Alice feeds by compulsive buying at LEAST once a day! It's like you not eating for three whole days! How would you feel after that?"

I looked at Edward in disbelief. "Are you serious? I mean I knew she loved to shop, but I didn't think it was that bad."

I could see Edward's eyes widen in horror. "Are you sure she hasn't bought anything for three whole days Emmett?" he asked.

"That's what she said! It's a new record isn't it?!"

I looked back and forth between them. "What happens if she doesn't shop?"

Now, both of their eyes widened in horror. "Oh man. Remember what happened that one time she didn't get to shop for a 2 days?! This is going to be bad!" Emmett said.

"What happened?" I asked.

Edward just shook his head. "It's a really long story, I'll tell you later. Right now, you have to start getting ready; we don't want her getting mad at us because we're late. She's been distracted because you were in the hospital, but now that your back, she has to feed!"

"Where is she?" I asked Emmett. "I need help getting ready."

"Here, I'll call her" Emmett said getting out his cell phone.

"Hey Jasper?"

"Yeah, they're awake."

"Bella needs help getting ready. Can Alice come over?"

"What? Well, I guess Rose will have to come do it instead then."

"Okay. Later."

"What's happening? Why can't Alice come?" I asked, concerned.

"Well, Jasper's having a bit of trouble keeping her from charging through the door like a lion and running all the way to the mall. I don't think she'd be much help! I'll go get Rosalie for you."

He left leaving me wide-eyed. "Is it really that bad?" I asked Edward, who was headed for the bedroom.

"Yep. We'll have to skip breakfast. Let's get something from the mall okay?"

"Sure" I said as I watched him walk to the bedroom.

I sat patiently for a few minutes before Rosalie walked into the room. She was already dressed and ready to go.

"Okay Bella. Let's get you ready as quickly as possible. I don't know how much longer Alice will last seeing as she is tied down to a chair at this moment" she said with a smile.

She worked very quickly indeed! A few minutes later I watched as she finished tightening the cast onto my leg then I grabbed my crutches to help me up.

Rose scurried ahead of me and told us she'd meet us outside with the others while Edward helped me out the door. I may have been imagining it but they both seemed positively frightened.

We took the elevator down and just as we were about to walk out of the building, I heard Edward give a low curse while staring ahead of me. I had been too busy watching the ground so I wouldn't fall but when I heard him, I picked up my head and looked in the direction his eyes were pointed at. I could feel my jaw drop as we walked out of the building.

Alice! Her eyes were positively black and her nose flared as she glared at me and Edward while Jasper and Emmett struggled to hold her back. She looked really frightening!

"Where have you two been?!" she hissed.

"Uh…We-well…" I listened to Edward stumble for words and realized just how serious this was.

"Are you trying to kill me?! Let's go already!" she shrieked as Jasper lifted her thrashing body up into his arms and started for her car.

My body immediately followed her orders and I hobbled as quickly as I could towards Edward's Volvo with him by my side.

As he helped me into his car, we watched Jasper drive Alice's Porsche past us. We were able to catch a glimpse of Alice in the passenger seat beating the dashboard with a lot of force and pointing forward.

I looked up at Edward with frightened eyes and his expression mirrored mine as he made his way to the driver's side.

We soon pulled into the mall parking lot and as he was helping me out of the car, I caught a glimpse of a small person with black hair sprinting towards the entrance of the mall.

_Wait a minute! That's Alice!_

I tugged on Edward's arm and pointed towards her. We watched Jasper as he ran behind her, trying to catch up to her and ignoring the stares of curious shoppers as well. As soon as they went through the door, I turned my gaze back to Edward.

"Oh. My. Goodness."

"I know" he whispered.

We spotted Rosalie and Emmett heading for the entrance ahead of us and we struggled to catch up to them.

"Did you guys see that?" I whispered to them as soon as we caught up.

"IF YOU MEAN DID WE SEE ALICE SPRINT FASTER THAN A CHEETAH TO GET INTO THE MALL, THEN HELL YEA WE DID!" Emmett boomed, earning us quite some curious stares.

I just shook my head in disbelief. The boy would never change. Maybe he had hearing problems…

When we walked into the mall, we realized we had no idea what store Alice and Jasper had gone to and we decided to go to the food court and get something to eat. But then we heard a shriek that sounded so much like Alice coming from the store beside us.

"You know, I don't think I want to be in there with her" Rosalie said. "Emmett, go tell Jasper we're eating and then come meet us."

The look on Emmett's face was priceless as he contemplated his chances of getting out of the store without Alice noticing him. It seemed like he made up his mind because he said

"I don't know Rose, how about we just call him on his cell phone."

"Chicken" I heard Edward mutter under his breath.

Emmett looked up alarmed. "I'm chicken?! Why don't you go in there then?!" he challenged.

I literally felt Edward shrink back. "You know, I think calling him is a good idea. Let's go eat" he said, leading the way to the food court.

"Poor Jasper" I muttered.

"Nah, he's used to it" Emmett said. _But still…_

We sat down at a set of chairs first so that Emmett could call Jasper. As soon as Jasper picked up, squeals could be heard in the background and they were most definitely Alice. Jasper was not very happy with us for ditching him, but he was pleased to say she was moving on to a new store.

We quickly turned around to look at the store we'd been standing by and were able to catch a glimpse of Alice as she sprinted across the hall to a new store and watched poor Jasper as he followed her warily, lugging huge shopping bags on both arms.

Instead of being frightened like we had been earlier this morning, this sight was pretty humorous and we began to laugh. We were still laughing our heads off when I got the unmistakable feeling that I was being watched.

I slowly turned in my seat and could feel dread welling up in the pit of my stomach. I ceased laughing when I was completely facing the person who'd been staring at me.

Jayden.

I had completely forgotten that he worked here. Now, there he stood behind the Orange Julius counter, watching me.

"What's wrong Bella?" Edward asked when he noticed I had stopped laughing. I watched him turn towards the source of my staring and his jaw tightened. He didn't seem so happy to see Jayden either.

Jayden and I stared at each other for what seemed like an immeasurable amount of time before I saw him leap over the counter and start to approach me.

I could feel my body go into panic mode. Did I really want to talk to him right now? But we had to get this settled with sooner or later.

"Do you want me to tell him to leave you alone?" Edward asked, sensing my tension.

I shook my head at him and stood up so I could go to a nearby table. Better to get this over with.

"Well, if he tries anything you can ask Bob and Joe to take care of him!" I heard Emmett boom from behind me.

I looked at him, "Bob and Joe?" I asked.

He lifted one of his fists "Bob" then he lifted the other, "and Joe, to the rescue." I shook my head laughingly at him as I walked away.

I set my crutches down as I sat down a few tables away and drew patterns with my eyes on the table. Not long after, I heard Jayden sit down across from me, and I looked up to meet his anxious blue eyes.

"Hello Jayden" I said sweetly, catching him off guard.

I watched as he tried to speak but no words would come out. Finally he just buried his face in his hands and there was an awkward silence between us. I was becoming more and more aware that I was being stared down by my friends behind me as the silence drew on.

"Well, I guess if you have nothing to say to me, I'll be leaving now" I said, getting ready to stand up.

"No wait!" Jayden yelled, grabbing my hand to show he wanted me to stay. I settle back into the seat and waited for him to begin.

"Look Bella, I really do want to apologize about what you saw at my apartment. But you have to believe me; I wasn't even prepared for it."

I raised my eyebrows at him but he just signaled for me to hold on. So I let him continue.

"I had fallen asleep on the couch after the game and hadn't locked the door because my roommate wasn't back yet. Then all of a sudden I feel someone kissing me and I thought it was you because you had done that once. But then I realized it wasn't you and when I opened my eyes, I was shocked! I asked her what she was doing there and she started telling me that you were cheating on me with Edward Cullen. I was shocked at first and didn't believe her, but then she started asking me why you were always with him. And the way he looks at you Bella… I just got so mad, that when she started kissing me again, I let her" he admitted sheepishly. "So, where you cheating on me?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?" I spat.

He looked taken aback. "You're not?! But, you guys are always with each other and you even live in the same room!"

"Jayden, I never cheated on you. He kissed me once, but I didn't return the kiss. In fact, I slapped him, because I was thinking about you. But I guess I just have bad luck choosing guys right? I mean, you didn't even come to visit me at the hospital after the accident."

"I wanted to come Bella" he said with pleading eyes, "but I was afraid you would make me leave the room. I wouldn't be able to stand that. Please understand Bella."

_I probably would have made him leave ._I shook my head. "Sorry, but if you're wanting me to continue dating you, I don't think that will happen. I do, however, realize that this whole thing wasn't completely your fault. Lauren and her little friends were out to get me ever since they found out I had to room with Edward. But, the fact that you responded to her…"

I watched as he let this all sink in.

"I still think you're a pretty cool guy though Jayden. And someday, you'll make some girl really happy" I said, patting the top of his hand. "If you want, we can be friends."

He looked up at me hopefully. "You mean that? You don't hate me?" he seemed incredulous.

I nodded. "Friends?" I put out my hand for him to shake. He took it gladly and replied "Friends" with a smile.

As we shook hands, I heard something that sounded faintly like a growl and looked behind me to see Edward getting up from his chair and stalking out of the food court. He seemed really angry! I looked at Rose and Emmett and they seemed angry too! They were both glaring at Jayden.

I looked at him. "Why are they looking at you like that Jayden?"

"I think they think you got back together with me. I'm sure they hate my guts right now."

I sighed. "I'll go talk to them. You go back to work." I watched as he stood up and started to leave, but turned back around.

"You know, Bella, the guy that gets you will be extremely lucky. Like Cullen, I know he would take great care of you" he added, then threw me a tentative smile and walked away.

_Things would be a little awkward between us, but we could still pull off the friends bit._

I pondered over what he'd said for a minute. _Did he know that I liked Edward? Or was he suggesting that Edward liked me?_

I grabbed my crutches and hobbled over to the table. I sat down with a sigh and prepared to face a bitter Emmett and Rose.

"I didn't get back together with him" I said.

"You didn't?" Rose asked skeptically.

"No."

"Then what was with the shaking hands thing and smiling at each other?"

"We're going to try to be friends. It wasn't completely his fault you know."

"Oh. Well, you might want to go tell Edward that!" Emmett said.

"About that. Where'd he go? Why'd he seem so mad?" I asked.

"He thought you'd gotten back with him and he was hurt."

"Why?"

Emmett looked at me like I was crazy. "DON'T YOU KNOW THAT HE'S IN LOVE WITH YOU?!" he boomed just as Rose tried unsuccessfully to clamp her hands over his mouth. Well if his previous actions got us a few stares, this one got us a lot.

"What?!" I shrieked.

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**Well, lots of thanks my reviewers. :D Again, not sure when next I'll update but I have most of the next chapter done. If you want a little preview into the next chapter just tell me in your review and I'll send it to you.**

**Review and tell me what you think. **

**jojoStarr**


	16. Chapter 16 Epiphany

**I found a better word than awesome to describe you guys! Are you ready?...You guys are MAGNIFICENT!**

**This chapter propably isn't one of my best, but I just really wanted to get it out there you know? I changed the whole thing a total of 4 times and it still didn't sound exactly how I wanted it to. But oh well...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Series or any of its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

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Epiphany

Rose heaved a huge sigh and smacked Emmett across the back of his head.

"You just can't keep your mouth shut can you?!" she scolded him

He, just finally realizing what he had done, looked at me sheepishly.

"You really didn't know?" he asked.

"You mean he's in love with me as a friend right?" I asked. _That sounds pretty stupid…_

That seemed to get Rose's attention. "I know we promised him we wouldn't tell you anything and leave you to figure it out on your own, but this is too much! How can you be so oblivious? He's taken better care of you than that sorry excuse of a boyfriend you had."

"Then why didn't he tell me he liked me?" I asked.

"He told us that he told you, but you didn't know he was talking about you."

I suddenly felt like I was having an epiphany. The girl that he liked was _me?_

I shook my head defiantly. "No, that's not true! He said she was beautiful, smart, funny…none of those things are me."

I looked up to find Emmett with his mouth gaping open and Rose with a surprised look on her face.

"We knew you had issues with viewing yourself correctly, but this is worst than I thought. How can you not know how beautiful you are Bella? You know what, instead of asking us all these things, you should go find him and talk to him" she said.

I was still having trouble comprehending everything they had just said. But, if he had told them he liked me…I suddenly realized…

The way he had looked at me the first time he told me about this girl. It had been like he was searching for an answer in my eyes. He had even said she had a boyfriend that she liked! Then last night when I asked him again, he had tensed up, but then he said things had gotten a little better. Had that been because Jayden had cheated on me?

I slapped my head in frustration. How could I have been so stupid?! I had told him to hang around her and show her the real him. How could I not have noticed that he spent most of his free time with me when he could have been somewhere else?!

I glanced at Rose to find she had a smirk on her face. "Took you long enough."

"I have to find him" I whispered to them. "Do you know where he is?"

"No, but you can call him" Emmett said, dialing the number and handing me his cell phone.

I listened to the phone ring and ring and ring until it fell onto the answering machine.

"He didn't pick up, are you sure he has his phone?" I asked Emmett.

"Yeah. Just leave a message, he probably thinks it's me calling."

"Ok-ay"

I cleared my throat and left a message asking him to meet me at his car in 10 minutes.

"If you don't come, I'll understand and I'll get a ride home with Rose or something" I said, hanging up.

"Do you think he'll come?" I asked Rose as I handed Emmett his phone.

"Who knows? He overreacted and is probably embarrassed!" Emmett said.

I quickly grabbed my crutches, stood up, and began to make my way to the parking lot.

I found his car and hobbled towards it as quickly as I could. I could feel my heart beating erratically in my chest as I approached his car. I really hoped he would come. I had been denying my feelings for him ever since I met him. First under the excuse of him being a jerk, then later under the excuse of me having a boyfriend. I had to find out for sure if what Rose and Emmett said was true. As much as I wanted it to be, it was still hard to believe them.

As I leaned against the car, I tried to calculate how long it had taken me to get there. Probably about 3 minutes, so about 7 more left. I stood there patiently waiting, but getting more panicked with each passing second. When I was sure that at least 15 minutes had passed, I felt my heart sink. He wasn't coming.

I stared down at the ground for a few seconds then steadied my crutches so I could go back into the mall. I picked up my head to go forward and was surprised to see Rose and Emmett headed towards me and signaling for me to wait for them.

"We're going to have to take you home. Edward won't be able to make it" Rose said.

"Why?" I asked.

"WELL-" Emmett started to speak or boom if you will, but Rose cut him off by putting her hands over his mouth.

"Will you shut up?! We don't need the whole world to hear!" she hissed, glancing around the parking lot to make sure it was clear.

"Edward got arrested" she said calmly in a low voice while taking her hands off of Emmett's lips.

I blinked. I wasn't sure if I had heard that correctly. "Did you just say he was arrested?"

"YEP!" Emmett said grinning. Perhaps happy he got a word in.

"Why?! What did he do?!" I shrieked, panicking.

"Calm down Bella. It wasn't as drastic as the last time. He just tore apart the display mannequins at Victoria's Secret" she explained it as if it was some everyday occurrence.

"That's not drastic? And what do you mean last time?" I asked as they began to lead me to their jeep.

I saw Emmett open his mouth to speak again but Rose cut him off with a glare, causing him to snap it back shut.

"For Edward? No, it's not drastic. He is a bit over reactive and he's done worse things but it's not our place to disclose that information to you. Anyway, they'll be releasing him in a couple of hours and you can talk to him."

"He did all that because he thought I was going to get back with Jayden?" I asked myself silently. But Rose, hearing me, nodded her head.

When we reached the jeep, Rose put my crutches in the trunk and sat in the passenger's seat while Emmett lifted me up and onto the seats in the back. When he was finished he walked around and got into driver's seat.

The jeep thundered to life and I settled into the seat, waiting for Emmett to drive out of the lot.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" he yelled, and turned off the car, while Rose muttered a few unintelligible words.

I quickly sat up. "What? What's wrong?" I asked.

"Well, we spent all that time in the mall but we didn't get a chance to eat" Rose explained.

I looked wearily at Emmet but he just flashed me that grin of his and stepped out of the car.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll go get some 'to go' food real quick!" He yelled as he jogged away, leaving Rose and me in the jeep.

"So…Bella?" she started, turning in her seat to look back at me. I groaned internally, knowing where this was going. "You like Edward?"

I looked out one of the windows. "You could say that" I answered.

I heard her give a frustrated sigh and glanced at her. She seemed _mad _at me?

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Why would you date someone else if you had feelings for another?" she asked.

I sighed exaggeratedly and began, "At the time, Edward was a jerk. And I didn't have feelings for him; I just thought he was gorgeous. When I met Jayden he seemed to be the complete opposite. His attitude I mean. But lately, Edward is the opposite of his 'old' self too and I have got to tell you, the feelings I've gotten for him are not just friendship. I was going to have to call things off with Jayden because it wouldn't be fair to him. But, he made that quite easy for me didn't he?"

Rose smirked and was just about to reply when Emmett banged on the driver's side window so she could open the door for him. I could feel my mouth drop as I stared at all the food in Emmett's hands. Was all that for him?!

I watched him sit inside and arrange the food in the space between him and Rose.

"Is all that for you Emmett?" I questioned.

"What? Oh, wait a second."

I watched as he stuck his hand into a paper bag and came out with an ice cream sandwich.

"For you" he said, holding it out to me while grinning.

I rolled my eyes and took it, realizing I was a bit hungry myself.

As we drove back to the dorms my mind started to roam. Things would definitely be awkward when Edward got back. Did he know that Emmett had told me he liked me? Was it really true? About a hundred similar questions passed through my mind for the duration of the drive. When we pulled into the parking lot, I felt relief as I realized the complex situation of how to get me out of the jeep would distract my mind for a bit.

Emmett carried me out and helped me stand upright while Rose got my crutches out. Then, she handed it to me so I could lean my weight on it and Emmett could let go and carry his food. _That wasn't as complicated as I thought it would be._

They walked with me to my room to make sure I would be okay and after assuring them I would be fine, I gave a sigh of relief as Emmett went with Rose to her room. I needed time alone.

I picked up the discarded remote control from the couch I was sitting on and turned on the T.V. Anything to get my mind off him for a while would be worth it. I stopped on NBC and laid back on the couch, hoping whatever show was on would distract me. It didn't.

I closed my eyes as more thoughts continued to fill my head, exhausting my mind, until finally, I fell asleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A creaking noise sounded in the room and I quickly opened my eyes and shot up in the seat to find Edward with his back to me, closing the front door. He still looked like he had when we had left this morning, not like someone who had torn apart display mannequins. I couldn't help the little chuckle that escaped my lips as I tried to imagine Edward violently ripping apart displays in a women's lingerie store.

The sound of my voice caused him to quickly turn around and his eyes locked mine into an intense stare. I could feel the color slowly creeping up my cheeks as he walked to stand in front of me. How to begin…?

I cleared my throat. "Edward I-" I started to speak but he cut me off with a wave of his hand.

"Shh. I know" he said.

I raised my eyebrows at him. _Well that makes things so much easier! Whew! _"You do?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes, I want to tell you that I am happy now that you are happy. It is meant to be" _He thought that he and I were meant to be together? Yes! I remembered that I had told him that if the relationship with his mystery girl was meant to be, it would happen._

"Great! I think so too!" I said ecstatically, but quickly frowned when I saw a pained look come into his eyes at my comment.

"What's wrong?" I asked quickly. "Don't you want me to like you too?"

He looked taken aback. "What?" he asked surprised.

"I said that I think we are meant to be too" I explained, but his frown seemed to deepen.

I watched him walk to the couch beside me, sit down, and put his head in his hands. I threw my arms up in frustration. Why was he annoyed?

"Do you really not want me to like you?" I asked, disappointed. _I knew it was too good to be true. But then what was he talking about when it said it was meant to be?_

He lifted his face up to look at me and the expression in his eyes shocked me. He seemed sad. _Okay, now he is really starting to confuse me._

"Of course I want you to like me. But you're too busy being in love with Jayden" he said.

I felt my eyes widen in surprise. _That's what he was talking about?_

_Now I get it! He still thinks I've gotten back with Jayden and he's __trying __to be happy for me._

"Oh! Edward I'm not in love with Jayden" I said giggling. He really was over reactive.

"But you just said that you guys were meant to be" he said, looking confused.

"I wasn't talking about Jayden" I said quietly.

"Oh" he answered, embarrassment coloring his tone. I glanced at him to find his eyes landing on every object in the room but me.

I watched his facial expression turn from embarrassment to fury. "You like another person now?!" he asked, still not looking at me.

_Jeez. And I thought I was the oblivious one. He must think I mean someone else._

"Edward?" I called so that he would look at me. When his emerald eyes finally met mine, I let out a deep breath I hadn't known I was holding.

I hesitated and exhaled again. "I…I was talking about…"

"Yes?" he prodded with his eyes.

"_You" _I added and quickly looked away. Funny how we just switched roles. A second ago he was the embarrassed one.

I quickly glanced at him again to find he had a look of confusion on his face. "Oh! You meant-…! OH!" he exclaimed, slapping his forehead.

_Looks like I'm not the only one having an epiphany today!_

"Do you mean that?" he asked, now staring at me.

I quickly looked down and nodded, not wanting to see his reaction.

I didn't have to, because in one long stride he moved to my seat and sat down beside me. I could feel him looking at me but instead of looking up, I began to play with my fingers in my lap as well.

"Bella, look at the T.V." he said.

_What an odd thing to say. I had just confessed to him that I liked him and he asks me to look at the TV?_

I could feel my brows scrunch in confusion as I lifted my head and glanced at the TV. _Howie Mandell? _Then it hit me… "Deal or No Deal!" I exclaimed and I heard him chuckle.

We had been watching this show when we declared ourselves as friends, now would we be declaring ourselves as something new?

I could feel a smile slowly spreading across my face and I turned back to look at him. _Why is he staring at me like that? _My insecurities heightened and I quickly resumed my earlier position of looking down in my lap, waiting for him to speak.

As the silence dragged on I began to feel myself panic. _Why won't he speak? Does he not like me that way? I cannot believe I- _my train of thought was cut off by the feeling of his hand on my chin. I shivered under his touch as he gently lifted my face up and turned it so I was facing him. I looked at his face and was surprised to see a huge grin, one so contagious, that I began to grin myself.

I saw hesitation in his eyes for a moment but it quickly disappeared and he spoke, "Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering, would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow night?"

I could feel my already huge grin get wider. "Yes!" I answered back, a bit over enthusiastically.

"It's a date then" he said chuckling.

_A DATE! Man, Alice is going to flip when she hears that!_

"A date" I whispered back, still staring into his eyes.

Then in an instant, his eyes turned from normal to scorching and my breath caught as he began to stroke my cheek with his thumb, leaving a tingling sensation behind.

My heart thundered loudly in my ears as he slowly brought his face closer to mine, so close, that I could now feel his breath as it fanned across my face. Then, as if on instinct, my eyes fluttered closed, and I felt the excitement bubbling up in me as I waited for his lips to touch mine.

As soon as they slowly brushed against mine, I let all that excitement I'd been holding in out and wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing him closer. I felt him smile before his smooth lips gently parted mine, sending chills up my spine. The kiss was slow and gentle as he carefully lifted me from the couch, so as not to disturb my leg, and placed me in his lap. Then our lips started to move faster together and I brought my hands up into his hair, tangling my fingers into it, and not wanting to stop. I put as much passion as I could into the kiss, to show him how I felt and I was just about to deepen it again when I heard a loud whistle by my ear.

I jumped, startled, and almost fell but Edward caught me just in time. I turned to see Emmett grinning like a fool in my face and I felt my face flush in embarrassment. But that was nothing compared to what I felt when I looked behind Emmett to see Alice, Rose, and Jasper with huge smiles on their faces.

"About time" I heard Jasper mutter.

I turned back to Edward but he was too busy glaring at Emmett. _Man, this is just too awkward..._

It became even more awkward when I realized I was still seated in Edward's lap. I wriggled free of his grip and slid onto the couch, while being aware that all eyes were on me.

"Hello Bella" Alice said, walking to stand in front of me. She looked a little suspicious…

"Alice?"

"Sorry about the little incident this morning" _she didn't sound sorry _"but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do you know?"

"Sure…"

"Well, now that we understand each other, would you kindly follow me to your bedroom?" she asked, already walking towards it with Rose trailing her.

_I knew it!_

I grumpily grabbed my crutches and made my way into the room, quietly locking the door behind me.

I sat down on the bed beside Alice and waited.

"Okay Bella, you want to tell me what's going on between you and my brother?"

"We like each other" I stated.

She raised her eyebrows threateningly at me.

"And we kissed" I added.

She smiled. "And is there anything else I should know?"

_Man, she is too good!_

"He wants to take me out to dinner tomorrow night."

There was a loud squeal as she jumped off the bed and pulled me into a hug.

"A date?! He asked you out on a date?!"

"I guess so…"

"I knew this was going to happen! I've already bought you everything you need! I'll bring it up here tomorrow after classes so we can get you ready!"

_Oh brother..._

When she finished questioning me on my feelings for Edward, we were finally allowed to go back to the living room. I slumped down next to Edward and turned my gaze to the floor, hoping everyone would stop staring at me.

"Well Bella, I guess we'll see you tomorrow!" Alice said cheerfully as she dragged Jasper out the door with Rose and Emmett trailing behind.

As soon as the door closed I let out a sigh of a relief. But that soon turned to anxiety as neither of us spoke to the other. This was just too weird and I did not feel like talking any more about it. Maybe we could settle things on our date, because right now, I was exhausted.

I stifled a yawn and reached down to grab my crutches so I could go to bed.

"Where are you going?" he asked, grabbing my arm.

"To bed" I replied quietly without looking at him.

"Oh. Well let me help you" he said getting up.

_Help me? How-_

I squealed as I was suddenly lifted up into the air. "You could have told me how you planned on helping me" I said to his chest, as he carried me to the bedroom.

He only chuckled lightly as he slowly lowered me onto the center of the bed and made his way onto it as well. I watched as he hesitated before finally bringing his arms around me.

Words couldn't describe how happy I felt right now. I turned in his arms and wrapped my arms around his waist, snuggling closer. "Night Edward."

"Go to sleep Bella" he whispered into my ear as he turned off the light.

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**83 reviews for the last chapter! That's like amazing! When i was reading all of them i got so happy i jumped onto my chair and began to do my happy dance! Sadly, the maid saw me and now she thinks I'm crazy. Actually she muttered a few words in spanish and I'm sure i heard the word 'loco' in there. I don't know much spanish but doesn't that mean crazy??**

**Anywho, I'm able to udate today because I pulled my hamstring in track practice yesterday. So, I didn't have to go to practice, hence, this free time:)**

**I want to thank you guys again. I hope I sent previews to everyone who asked for one. I really appreciated reading what you had to say!**

**Review :)**

**jojoStarr**


	17. Chapter 17 The Date

**Thanks for all the great reviews guys! **

**Listen to the song 'With You' by Chris Brown on the second part of their date. I think it totally fits.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Series or any of its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

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The Date

I opened my eyes and glanced at the clock. 11:00 AM. I felt my eyes bulge. _11 am?! Oh wait; I have no morning classes today. _I gave a sigh of relief and began to sit up on the bed only to be pulled back down.

"Where are you going?" he murmured into my ear.

I was startled at first, but then remembered that he had slept with me last night. "I…uh"

My stomach let out a growl. "I need to get some food"

"You just woke up and you're hungry?" I could hear the amusement in his voice.

"It's almost lunch time Edward. And yesterday, the only thing I ate was a melted ice cream sandwich from Emmett!"

"Oh" he said. Maybe he didn't like being reminded about yesterday.

I turned to face him and was surprised to see that he was already dressed.

"Hey! You've been awake for a while!" I accused, pointing my finger at his face. "Why didn't you wake me? What's with just laying on the bed pretending to be asleep?"

He grabbed my accusing finger and brought it to his lips. "Because I enjoyed watching you sleep" he replied. I could feel the blood slowly rising towards my cheeks as he continued to stare into my eyes. I was getting so lost in them, that when my stomach let out another growl, I jumped into the air. _How embarrassing._

I heard Edward laughing and my face instantly became redder than before. "How would you like to go to the dining hall and get something to eat?" he asked with a smirk.

I ignored the smirk and tried to be glad for the change in subject. "Could you call Alice up here?" I asked him, "I need a little help getting ready."

He nodded understandingly and fished his cell phone out of his pocket.

Alice arrived shortly and a couple of hours later, she had helped me accomplish all the tasks I couldn't have done by myself. She may be a shopping freak, but she was a great friend, who threatened me to be back as soon as class was over so she could prepare me for my date. She left a few minutes later and I grabbed my crutches so Edward and I could head for the dining hall. As we walked towards it in silence, he held me close to his side the entire way and I found myself getting nervous for our date tonight.

He hadn't even told me where we were going but I wasn't nervous about that. I knew that tonight would be the time when we would have to talk. Talk about things I wasn't comfortable talking about, and I'm not looking forward to that.

When we walked into the hall, he placed me at a table by the door and left to go get our food. It was not long after he left that the chair in front of me was pulled out and sat in. When I looked up, it was not who I expected it to be.

"What do you want now Lauren?" I asked wearily. She was in one of the worst bimbo outfits I'd yet to see her in. She might as well only have a bra and underwear on.

She gave me a sweet smile but her eyes were still sending me glares. "Isabella, I only came to talk to you."

"Well, I don't want to talk to you" I quipped.

She seemed taken aback for a second but then quickly regained her composure. "Well, I'll talk to you anyways. What happened to your leg?" she asked.

"That's none of your business" I replied curtly.

She smirked. "Touchy. It has something to do with finding me with your boyfriend right?"

"Ex-boyfriend. And you're wrong, it doesn't have anything to do with him" I lied. _No way was I letting her think she'd had her way with me. But I've always been a bad liar._

She saw right through my lie. "Right. Anywho, maybe now you'll stay away from Edward" she said, triumphantly.

I smirked. "You know, that's kind of hard since we live with each other. And now, because of you, we are dating" I added. _That's not a big lie, we just haven't gone on the date yet…_

Her jaw dropped and she stood up fuming. "Because of me?!"

_This was going better than I'd thought. _"Yep! You made it easier to get rid of Jayden so I could now get with Edward."

She looked mad! Things weren't exactly going her way, but I wasn't leaving Edward because of her.

"You won't be with him for long" she said after a while. "I've got my ways" she added, smiling, then turned around and walked away.

By her ways, I'm guessing she meant seducing. I instantly became worried. Would Edward go back to how he used to be? Why hadn't I thought about this before? Isn't it kind of impossible to change as quickly as he did?

My train of thought was cut off again by the sound of the chair being pulled out. I looked up wearily, hoping it wasn't Lauren again, and smiled when I saw Edward.

He pushed a tray of food in front of me and I began to eat, but I was also very aware that he was watching my every move.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I looked up. "Nothing. Why?" I asked.

"You were frowning a second ago…"

"Oh, that's just because Lauren decided to pay me a visit while you were getting my food."

"What did she want?" he asked curiously. _Curiosity? I was hoping for anger…_

"Just for me to stay away from you. And she says she'll be getting you back" I watched him closely for his reaction. His jaw seemed to tighten and his hands gripped the table tighter. _There's the anger._

"So are you going to stay away from me?" he asked.

"Nope" I answered, smiling.

"Good" he said smiling back. "And I'm not going back to her or any of her friends."

As soon we got that out of the way, we ate in silence. Or I mean, he ate and I shoveled food down my throat. I was starving!

As I was bringing another forkful of food towards my lips he reached out and took it from my hand.

"Hey!" I said, reaching for my fork but he just held it out of arms reach.

"Bella, you're going to want to save some room in your tummy for dinner tonight. Where we're going, there'll be lots of food and I want you to eat it."

I folded my arms across my chest "Where are we going anyways?" I asked.

"I'm not telling. But you'll find out in" he looked at the clock "about 3 hours. Come on, we have to get to class" he said, while picking up our trays.

I picked up my crutches and trailed after him, but not without with out catching a glare from Lauren, who was standing with her friends a little ways away. The worry I'd been feeling earlier quickly returned, but as soon as Edward and I walked into the music room, it quickly disappeared.

I attempted to drag Edward to a piano but with my crutches, it was a little hard. But he understood what I wanted and followed me towards one. We sat down together and I commanded him to play something for me.

He began to play and I noticed something about this piece. Compared to everything I'd heard him play before, this one was happy.

I looked up at him smiling. "Edward that was beautiful. And it wasn't sad, why is that?"

He smiled down at me, "Because I'm happy."

I blushed and changed the subject to our piece, which we worked on for the rest of the class.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As we approached the dorm building, I could see Alice standing in front of it and she jumped up and down excitedly when she saw us coming. Rose, who was standing beside her, threw me a sympathetic look.

As soon as we got into our room, I was whisked away from Edward and into the bedroom.

Alice had bought a short, black, strapless valentino dress , and because I had a cast on one leg, I was allowed to wear a pair of heels that weren't too tall. As soon as we had all my clothes on, which took a while by the way; I was then taken to the bathroom so Edward could get dressed. That was when the real torture began.

"I don't see why you have to fix my eyebrows. I think they look perfectly fine" I whined.

"Nonsense. They looked fine before, but after this, they'll look great!"

I sighed and held my breath as she began to pluck my eyebrows.

"Okay Bella" Rose said, "You can look at yourself now."

They helped me get up and turned me around so that I was facing the bathroom mirror.

I could feel my jaw drop while Alice snickered beside me. I looked…different! They hadn't put much make-up on me but you could see it. And my eyebrows, well, they did look great!

"Wow" I breathed. "Thank you so much guys!"

"No problem! We enjoyed doing it" Alice said. _More like she enjoyed __buying__ the things needed to do this…_

I grabbed my crutches and followed them out of the bathroom and into the living room where Edward was watching T.V.

As soon as he saw me, he got up and walked to stand in front of me. His eyes roamed up and down my body and I blushed like crazy while Alice and Rose snickered behind me.

"Wow Bella, you look…uh" I smiled as he struggled for words. "You look amazing!"

I looked at his outfit which consisted of a pair of dark jeans and a tight gray v-neck which emphasized his muscles.

"You don't look too bad yourself" I replied. _Too bad? He looked hot!_

He smiled and wrapped an arm around my shoulder to help me outside.

He helped me get into the passenger seat of his car and I watched as he made his way around to his side. As soon as he pulled out of the parking lot, I found myself getting excited about the date.

"Where are we going?" I asked, hoping he'd forgotten about refusing to tell me.

"Nice try, but you'll just have to wait and see" he said, smiling down at me.

I frowned and turned to look out the window, hoping to get a hint in the direction we were going. But I had no such luck seeing as I had no idea where any place in Seattle was except for the mall.

We'd been driving for about 15 minutes before I realized we were no longer in the city. A few minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of a huge but elegant building. I looked up to read the name 'The Herbfarm'. Recognition hit me.

"Holy cow Edward! We can't eat here! Do you know how expensive it is?!" This had been on Forbes list of the most expensive restaurants in the US! Getting in was tricky, but the cost per person, now that was something.

Edward just smiled as he got out of the car and came to help me get out.

"My family and I come here all the time. It's a very relaxing place and the cost is not a problem" he explained as he led me inside.

When we walked in my jaw dropped and I was in awe. It was beautiful. There was a stage on which a man was playing a guitar and the place had a country feeling to it. Who knew you could find something like this so close to Seattle?

As soon as Edward confirmed our reservations we were led to a secluded spot, seated, and told our waiter would be with us shortly. My mouth was still open and I continued to take in the scenery around me.

"You might want to close your mouth Bella; we don't want any flies flying in there."

I looked back to find him smiling at me. "This place is so beautiful Edward."

He was about to reply to me but we were interrupted by someone scratching their throat above us. I looked up to see a blonde haired and blue eyed guy about my age holding a notepad and looking down at me. He was cute, but the way he was staring at my chest was a little creepy.

"Hello, I'm Mike and I will be your waiter today. What would you like to drink?" he asked my chest.

I cleared my throat and he quickly looked up to my eyes. "WE" I started, turning my eyes to a very unhappy looking Edward, "would like…what would we like Edward?" I hadn't had a chance to look at the menu yet.

Mike reluctantly turned to Edward and took out his pencil. "We would like a bottle of your finest wine" he answered, shooting daggers into Mike's eyes. _Was he jealous?_

Mike nodded his head and walked away. Edward turned back to me and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry about that. Do you want me to request a new waiter?"

"No, that's okay."

He frowned and picked up his menu.

"Uh Edward? You know, I'm not old enough to drink."

"Neither am I, but they don't know that" he whispered.

"Okay" I said as he turned his eyes back to the menu before him.

"What would you like to eat?" he asked.

I looked at my menu and my eyes widened. _The food was expensive!_

"I uh…well" I stammered, "I'll have whatever you have"

He smiled at me. "You'll be glad you didn't eat all that food this afternoon. We're having a nine course meal."

I heard my stomach growl appreciatively and I looked down embarrassed.

Our waiter, Mike, walked to our table holding a bottle of expensive looking wine and poured it into our glasses. When he was finished doing that, he took out his notepad again and turned himself so he was facing me and smiled.

"Have you decided what you would like to eat?" he asked my chest again. I heard a low growl coming from Edward and I glanced at him. He looked pissed off. _Did Edward just growl?!_

Mike looked as surprised as me and looked at Edward. "We would like the (insert meal here)" he said in a strained voice.

Mike quickly wrote down our order on his pad and hurried off. I turned back to Edward to find him with his thumb and index finger squeezing the bridge of his nose.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"That guy is drooling every time he looks at you! And it's not only your face he's looking at. Doesn't that bother you?"

I felt a smile light up my face.

"Why are you smiling?" he asked, frustrated.

"You're jealous" I said.

He let go of his nose and glared at me. "I'm not!"

"Are too. Admit it!"

"I am not jealous of that pervert! I'm just concerned for your safety." _Yeah…our waiter is going to attack me in the middle of our meal in a restaurant filled with people. Very wise…_

"I don't know why you're denying it" I said, "I think your jealousy is sexy."

He rolled his eyes at me and sat up in his seat _I smell a change in subject…_ "It is now time for us to get to the purpose of this date" he said.

_I knew it. _"Which is?" I inquired.

"Getting to know one another."

"Okay. Let's play 20 questions!" I said excitedly. "You first."

He looked thoughtful for a moment as he decided on a question and I prepared my self for a hard one.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked. _It took him that long to come up with that?!_

"Until recently I would have to say it was blue."

"What is it now?" he asked.

"Green" I answered quickly. Then realizing why I'd said that, I blushed lightly and looked down.

"Why?" he asked, noticing the blush. _Cause it's the color of your eyes, but I'm not telling you that!_

"You're asking too many questions, it's my turn now."

"Fine" he answered, but I knew he wasn't going to let that question go.

"What's Your favorite color?" I asked.

"I would have to say that it is brown" he answered. _That's odd…brown is so boring._

"Why?" I asked.

"Because it's warm, soft, beautiful, and it's brown."

_That was the most unexpected answer…_

"My turn!" he said excited again. "Why is your favorite color now the color green?"

I groaned. I knew he would do that. "And no lying to me!" he added.

"Because it's the color of your eyes" I answered quietly. I looked up at him and he was smiling!

"You know why I chose the color brown?" he asked.

"Cause it's warm and soft, and beautiful?" I asked, confused.

"Yes, and because it's the color of YOUR eyes."

I smiled back at him and didn't feel so embarrassed anymore.

Our food was soon brought to the table and as we ate we continued to ask each other such simple questions. However, by the 5th course of our meal, they started to get more personal.

"Why did you date Jacob?" he asked.

I frowned. I didn't really want to answer that, but he'd answered everything I'd asked him…

"We used to be the best of friends and I would rarely do anything without him. But, when he confessed he had feelings for me, I didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure if I felt the same way. My dad, he said I should give Jacob a try and maybe I could gain feelings for him. Plus, I didn't want to lose him because I refused to date him…I never guessed he would cheat on me or become my stalker…"

"Oh, why did he cheat on you?" _I'm not telling him that I frustrated Jacob by refusing to have sex! _

I could feel color slowly making its way towards my cheeks as I thought of having to answer that, and he noticed this. "That's more than one question" I said.

"Okay" he replied smugly. I knew what his next question would be and I had to find a way to get him off this subject. _Lightbulb!_

"How many girls have you had sex with?" I asked. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know, but if it would embarrass him enough to forget about his previous question…

He looked at me with a shocked expression and I forced myself to hold back the laughter threatening to escape my lips. "And no lying to me!" I repeated his earlier words. _He probably won't answer._

"0" he answered.

I scoffed. "Yeah right. I'm serious Edward, I won't hate you if you tell me the truth."

He looked up at me with a surprised expression. "You don't believe me?"

"No." _Did he expect me to? _"Edward you were always with a different girl when I first met you, you can't expect me to believe that."

A sad expression flitted across his face. "I'm not lying to you. I may have been with a lot of girls but I've never gone that far with any of them. Why do you think Lauren won't leave me alone?"

_Edward was a flippin virgin?!_

He really did look like he was speaking the truth, and I could feel the shock register on my face.

"My turn again" he said quietly. "Now back to my previous question, why did Jacob cheat on you?" _Well that didn't work out like I planned…_

"Because I wouldn't have sex with him" I answered quietly.

"Why wouldn't you have sex with him?"

"Because I still didn't like him that way."

"Would you have sex with me?" he asked.

I was just about to answer when I realized what he had said. "Hey!" I said, as he began to laugh at me. "That was not funny."

"I was just kidding" he said, holding his hands up defensively in front of him.

As we continued to fire questions back and forth I couldn't stop my mind from wondering back to that question. _Would I?_

On our seventh course of the meal I was too full to eat. "Edward, I can't eat anymore" I complained, while holding my stomach.

He laughed. "Aren't you happy you stopped eating this afternoon? I'll just get our bill."

He signaled our waiter to our table, who by the way hadn't looked at me again that evening, and asked for the bill.

As he pulled our bill out of his pocket I grabbed my purse and began to search through it for my wallet.

"What do you think you're doing?" Edward asked.

"Helping you pay the bill" I answered, pulling a few bills out of the bag.

"No you're not. I invited you here, it only makes sense that I pay."

I frowned at him and put my money back, knowing by the stubborn look on his face that he wouldn't back down. I tried to peek and see how much it was but he did a very good job of hiding it behind his arm.

As soon as the bill was paid, he stood up and helped me to the car. That had to have been the best dinner of my life.

When we got into the car I glanced at the clock and noticed that it was 7pm.

"Are we going back now?" I asked.

"Don't ask questions Bella, just relax there and you'll see."

_We weren't going back yet._

He drove for about another 30 minutes and pulled into the parking lot of what looked like a park. When he helped me out of the car, I looked around and was amazed at the scenery.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"We are close to Bainbridge Island" he replied with a smile. "Come on, we've got to hurry or we'll miss it."

"Miss what?" I asked as I walked as quickly as my crutches allowed.

"You'll see" he answered. I gave an exasperated sigh. All these surprises were killing me!

A couple of minutes later we walked to an open are where there were benches over looking the water. But that's not what caught my eye. The sun was setting and the shadows it cast on the water were just so beautiful.

Edward led me to one of the benches and we sat down to watch it in silence.

"That was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen" I said as it disappeared from view. I turned to him when I realized he hadn't spoken, to find him gazing at me.

"I can think of something more beautiful" he whispered as he slowly lowered his face towards mine.

"Really? What?"

"You"

I blushed furiously at his words but got distracted as his lips came crashing down on mine.

This kiss was very different from yesterday's. Maybe it was because we knew how we both felt for each other, or maybe it was because there was no one to interrupt us. But we could have stayed there all night if the dorms didn't have curfew.

"Bella what are your feelings for me?" he asked as we walked back to the car in the darkness.

I didn't know how to answer that but I would be as honest as I could.

"Um…I definitely like you as more than a friend" I joked.

"I would hope so."

"But I'm not sure exactly how I feel. I know I feel very strongly for you but it seems too soon to be feeling that way. It's a little scary to tell you the truth." I answered quietly. "How about you?" I asked.

"Ditto. I hope that explains my actions at the mall yesterday. I had waited so long for you and then to think that you would be going back to him, you've got to understand how I felt."

I wanted to tell him that I was not worth waiting for. There's nothing special about me, but I would not be the one to ruin the mood tonight. Maybe later.

He helped me get into the car and we began to head for campus.

"Would you like to be my official girlfriend now Bella?" he asked, staring straight out the windshield.

I could feel a huge grin spreading across my face. "I would love to be."

He turned to smile at me. "Thanks."

"Watch the road" I reminded him and he rolled his eyes as he faced forward.

"You can sleep if you want" he said while putting an arm around my shoulder and pulling me closer to him, "it's about an hour's drive back."

"Okay" I said, laying my head on his chest. "Thank you for the awesome date."

"It was my pleasure."

I reached out and turned up the volume of the radio. 'With You' by Chris Brown was playing. How perfect.

Now this, had to have been the best date of my life, I thought, as I wrapped my arms around Edward's waist.

But all good things must come to an end. That's why when I heard Edward let out a string of profanities under his breath and I looked up to see what was wrong, I was not surprised.

So much for the perfect date...

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**Oooo who or what has happened?**

**So...wat'd u think? Be honest. Picture of Bella's outfit on my profile**

**Also, do you guys think I need a beta? I know it's kind of late but there's still like 10 more chapters left. Just let me know...**

**Review!**

**jojoStarr :)**


	18. Chapter 18 Resisting Temptation

**Disclaimer: Don't own the Twilight Series or any of its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

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Resisting Temptation

"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting up.

"Look in the rearview mirror."

I glanced at it and my eyes widened. "That as-", I began, getting ready to unleash some insults; I didn't get to finish though, because Edward clamped his hand over my mouth. "How long has he been following us?!" I demanded.

"I only noticed his car when we were leaving the restaurant. I didn't know it was him though. He may have been with us in the park, I'm not sure because I didn't see him; but just now the headlights of another car showed me his face. We're going to have to get a restraining order on this guy, Bella."

I looked again at the red rabbit trailing behind us. _The kid needs to get a life._

"Just keep going, don't let him know we've seen him" I told Edward.

He nodded and increased his speed.

_Jacob is back. Why can't he just leave me alone?!_

The ride back was quiet, which was good because I was deep in thought about what I should do about Jacob. Would he get out of his car and follow us to our room? And if he did, what would I say to him? I didn't want to make things worse than they already were…I shouldn't have worried though; because, when we arrived at campus, he slowly passed us and sped away, again.

I sighed wearily as we walked into our room.

"If he's back", I said, looking up at Edward, "he's going to be in class tomorrow."

"He hasn't tried anything before, so hopefully he won't do that now. We'll just make sure you don't get there early so there are more people around you."

I nodded and grabbed my pajamas off the bed so I could go change in the bathroom. When I got in there, I realized something. First, I couldn't reach behind me to unzip the dress, I always had to hold something for support therefore any other uses for my hands were gone; and how was I going to put my shorts on? Alice had been helping me so far so I guess I'd just have to call her now.

I hobbled back into the room to find Edward already in a pair of 'normal' boxers and a t-shirt, lying on the bed. He looked up at me with a questionable expression, probably wondering why I was still dressed, then I watched his eyes widen in realization.

"Could you call Alice?" I asked. He nodded and took his cell phone from the nightstand and dialed her number. After a while he shut it and looked at me with wide eyes.

"No one picked up. It went to the answering machine."

"Try Rose" I offered.

I watched as he dialed a number and waited. Again he shut it, but this time, he didn't even look at me.

"Well?" I asked impatiently. I really wanted to sleep…

"No one picked up either" he replied, seeming uncomfortable.

_Why is he uncomfor--oh my goodness--no, no, no. _I could feel my eyes widen as I realized what was making him uncomfortable.

"If you want, I can go down there and see why they aren't picking up" he offered, somewhat hopefully.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Yes please! I bet they didn't hear their phones ring or something" I answered, mirroring his hopeful tone.

I watched him rise from the bed and pull on a pair of sweatpants, then all but sprint out of the room. I began to pace up and down the room with my crutches. Rose or Alice had better be there…

I was still pacing when about 5 minutes later I heard the front door close. I listened intently, trying to distinguish between sounds and find out if there was more than one person. There was only one, and I knew very well that it had to be Edward.

He stalked into the room and made his way to the bed; returning to the position he had been in when I had first walked into the room.

The silence was overwhelming and he was getting on my nerves. "Well?" I asked impatiently, again.

"There was no one there" he replied in monotone, staring straight at the wall opposite him.

I felt my heart sink. Where could they be?

As if hearing my unspoken question, he spoke. "I don't even know where they could be this late…"

_What to do? I have to get out of this dress. But the thought of Edward undressing me sent my heart into a panic._

"I…I trust you Edward" I said, throwing him a shaky smile.

He looked confused for a second and then his eyes widened as he realized what I meant.

"Are you sure?" he asked. He seemed unsure of something.

"I'm sure" I confirmed.

"Okay" he said, turning his gaze to me. I waited for him to get off the bed and get this over with already but he just laid there, staring at me.

"Any day now would be fine" I joked. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts and slowly stood up. He did truly look afraid.

"Are you sure?" he asked again, as he approached me. I nodded my head and tried to act calm, which was nothing compared to the butterflies gathering up in my stomach. _Thank goodness I wore the new underwear and bra set Alice got me. Now that I think of it, she had seemed pretty insistent that I wear it. She hadn't planned her convenient absence from the phone and her room had she?_

I turned around on my crutches so he could unzip the dress. As I felt his hands touch my back, I felt the color slowly creeping up my cheeks. This was just too embarrassing. _But you guys are dating now; it's not that big of a deal…_

I took a deep breath as I felt him slowly lowering the zipper, all the way down. I heard a sharp intake of breath and I'm sure it wasn't from me, since I was already holding my breath. My whole back was now exposed to him. He tugged on the dress and it fell down.

_Oh my gosh. I have to turn around. He has to take my cast off._

I moved towards the bed and turned around so I could sit. I plopped down on it and carefully leaned the crutches against the bed, and beside me. I knew my face probably looked like a tomato but I looked up at Edward anyway when I noticed he made no sudden movements toward me.

He was frozen in his spot and staring at me with huge eyes. _Good. I'm not the only embarrassed one._

When he noticed me staring back at him his gaze quickly shifted to the ceiling.

"Edward, you have to help me take the cast off and then my pants on" I said.

He continued to look at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

I waited patiently and when he finally replied, his voice was hoarse and barely above a whisper.

"Bella, I don't think I can do that. Be that close to you when you're… almost naked… and be able to control myself."

'_Almost naked.' Those two words increased the rush of blood to my face. Looks like I'll be red for a few days…Man, the quicker we get this over with, the better. He's not the only one with hormonal issues._

I sighed. "Edward, I want to go to sleep. I'm a hundred percent sure you won't do anything, now come on."

He shifted his gaze to my eyes and my eyes only and began to move himself forward. The whole way, he wouldn't remove his eyes from mine and I began to realize just how hard this must be for him.

He kneeled in front of me and fumbled blindly for the clasps of the cast because he still wouldn't remove his eyes from mine.

When he had it off, he reached behind me for my shorts and stuck my good foot in one hole. He then reached for my bad leg and froze. He would have to look down to make sure he didn't hurt it. I watched his brows furrow in concentration and his green eyes look contemplatively into mine, and then quickly glance down to the leg. He slowly pulled that foot through the shorts and my face began to burn up as his eyes traveled up my legs when he brought the shorts up to my thighs. _What was I thinking when I said he should do this?_

I put my shaking hand over his to stop him. "I…I can ta…take it from here" I stuttered.

His hands froze under mine and he looked up at me from under his long, black lashes; his emerald eyes scorching. In that brief instance, I forgot how to breathe and remained frozen; locked in his gaze. Then, ever so slightly, he began to lean forward and I unconsciously, did the same; until our noses touched and I could feel his sweet breath on my face. He moved his lips to my jaw and began to trace it down to my neck; and then back up, slowly making his way to my mouth. I opened my lips to tell him to stop; that this would lead to something we might regret. But he simply took my mouth in his and I forgot everything I'd been about to say. I lifted my hands up and wrapped them around his neck, bringing him closer to me, as his kiss became more urgent. He began to lean forward, and reached his hands out on each side of me, for the bed; only to knock my crutches off of it.

The sound of the clutches clattering to the floor seemed to break us out of whatever trance we had been in because in an instant, we froze, slowly pulled our heads away from each other; and quickly looked away.

_Awkward..._

I do not want to think about where that had been going. He was still kneeling in front of me, but I couldn't muster up the courage to look at him. I merely grabbed the shorts where they had been left at my thighs and pulled them up.

As I pulled the tank top over my head, I heard his voice. But it was so quiet, that my ears had to strain to hear him

"Bella, I'm so sorry" he said, a pleading note in his voice.

"It wasn't your entire fault, I wasn't exactly showing resistance" I replied, putting my shaking hands in my lap.

"No" he refused. "You trusted me, and who knows what would have happened if you didn't have crutches?" he asked, standing up.

I simply laid myself back on the bed and tried to calm the beating of my heart; slow the speed of my breathing and watch him make his way to his side of the bed.

"Edward, we wouldn't have done anything" I assured him. _Yea right…_

"If you're sure. I don't know why you trust me so much…"

"I'm sure."

I watched as he gave a sigh of relief and laid himself out on the bed as well.

As he turned off the lights and wrapped his arms around me, I entertained my mind with thoughts of the different ways I could kill Alice tomorrow.

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I could feel his fingers slowly tracing my face and I realized he must think I was asleep. So, I kept up the charade. But, when they traced my lips, I smiled and he felt it.

"Good morning Bella", he said, smiling, as I opened my eyes.

I looked up at him and there was some kind of emotion in his eyes. A very familiar emotion that I just couldn't put my hand on at the moment.

"Hey, what time is it?" I asked, remembering that I had class this morning.

"You have about an hour before class. But don't worry, Alice is way ahead of you" he added when he saw my panicked face and tilted his head towards the closet.

I lifted my head and sure enough, the little pixie was in the closet, on her knees, searching for something. I had not forgotten about what she did yesterday, but I would figure out a way to freak her out later.

"Good morning Alice" I called as I sat up in the bed.

She turned to me and beamed. "Bella!" It's things like that which make it hard to stay mad at her.

About 45 minutes later, I was all dressed and ready to leave. It had been planned: Edward would walk me to class and I would arrive just in time. I would get a seat as far away from Jacob as possible and as soon as the bell rang, Edward would be waiting outside for me when I walked out.

Things didn't exactly work out that way. When I arrived, sure we got the part where there would be a lot of people in the room and Jacob wouldn't confront me. But, we hadn't thought of the possibility that the only empty seat in the room would be right next to him.

I could tell Edward wasn't very happy about this but he had to get to class too. So, while giving me a quick peck on the forehead, he told me to call him if anything went wrong.

I hunched my shoulders and began to make my way towards a beaming Jacob. The evil smile playing across his face was so much more different from the beautiful one he would give me when we used to be friends…

As I slowly sat down, he turned in his seat and stared at me. _I hope he doesn't do that throughout the class._

As I was laying my crutches down, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, signaling that I had a text message. I flipped it open to read and the smile that spread across my face made my cheeks hurt.

Jayden: Sit tight 4 1min; I'll take care of ur sittin arrangements.

I looked up to find him grinning at me a couple rows down and I smiled to confirm the message. I watched as he picked up his books, stood up and made his way down the rows of students to stand in front of the professor. I could see their lips moving and a couple of times he turned and pointed at me. Then, he looked at the professor questioningly and he nodded.

The professor looked up at me, then he turned his gaze to Jacob. "Mr. Black is it?" he called.

I saw Jacob nod his head out of the corner of my eye and a scowl etch into his forehead.

"Would you please mind trading seats with Mr. Strom here?" the professor asked.

Jacob stubbornly crossed his arms in front of his chest and shook his head. "I don't see why I have to trade seats, I was here first" the childish manner in which he said this caused a few students to look up at him in surprise.

The professor's then friendly tone turned to one of authority. "Mr. Black it is now required for you to switch seats with Mr. Strom today. If you still have a problem with that we can discuss this in my office."

Jacob let out a huff as he stood up and gathered his things. "I'll be seeing you later Bella" he promised.

I completely ignored him and smiled at Jayden as he made his way towards me. As he sat down in Jacob's previous seat I looked at him suspiciously.

"What did you tell the professor?"

He shrugged. "I just told him that you're my cousin and handicapped at the moment. I needed to be beside you in case you needed anything. Plus, he's a big fan of basketball", he added, winking.

_This friends thing really could work out._

"Thank you. That's twice now" I told him, still smiling. He smiled back and turned his attention to the front of the class where the professor had now begun his lecture.

_Edward won't be happy when he hears it was Jayden who helped me, but my safety is all that matters right?_

When class was over Jayden waited patiently for me to stand up with my crutches, and as we were about to walk through the door, he turned to speak to me.

"Friends help each other right?" he asked hesitantly. I nodded.

"Well, I saw you and Edward walk here together so you guys are probably dating?" I nodded again, wondering where this was going.

"Here he comes, but will you tell him that I am willing to help keep you safe in this class?" he asked.

"Like you did today?" I asked. He nodded and I smiled. "I will. Thank you so much Jayden! I would hug you now, but I can't" I said, showing the crutches. "And I don't know how Edward would take it, but thanks."

He smiled and as he walked away I heard a silent "anytime."

I met Edward and we began to walk to my next class.

"What was that?" he asked, referring to me talking to Jayden. I could tell he was trying to keep a calm voice but I sensed a hint of worry.

"Relax Edward, we're just friends. You can't possibly think I'd go back to him after what he did to me?" I tried to reassure him.

He sighed. "I know, I was just making sure. But what were you guys talking about? Oh, and Jacob didn't bother you did he?"

"Nope. Jayden saved me" I said, somewhat triumphantly. He threw me a confused look that said 'what the hell?'

So, like a proud soccer mom I began to explain how Jayden had come to my rescue. I then went along to tell him what Jayden had asked at the end of class. Now, we stood silently outside of my classroom and I waited for his response.

"If you're 100 sure he won't try anything, then I don't mind…" he finally said.

"I'm sure he won't" I said, smiling up at him.

"Good. Because you are mine" he said, smiling.

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I was a little distracted for the rest of the day. My mind bordering on what to do about Jacob and my heart anticipating the time to see Edward again. When it was finally time to have lunch I hobbled as fast as one could on crutches and headed for the dining hall. Edward met me about half way there and we talked about meaningless things. Then I remembered the scenario last night and I explained to him my opinion that his sister had something to do with it. After talking for a little bit, we decided, we were going to play Alice.

"Hello Alice, Rose" I greeted politely as we sat down at the table.

The both looked up, and threw me smiles.

"Bella, how are you?" Rose asked cautiously. I was almost sure that the whole thing had been Alice's idea and she had roped Rose along, so I would give her a break

"Fine thank you" I now turned my full attention to Alice and nudged Edward in the leg to get his attention.

I slowly turned my face towards him and threw what I hoped was a flirtatious smile. I kept my head angled though, so I could catch Alice's reaction to what we said.

"Edward, I think we're going to need more whip cream" I said, just loud enough so everyone at our table could hear, while putting my elbows on the table and leaning closer to him. I sneaked a glance at Alice and she had a confused look on her face.

"Whip cream? I want some!" Emmett bellowed. I threw him a questioning look but quickly turned my attention to Edward when I heard him speaking.

"Are you talking about for tonight?" he asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively. I nodded.

How much do you think we'll need?" he asked again, his lips turning into a secretive smile. _Wow, he is a really good actor! _

I glanced at Alice again and comprehension was slowly spreading across her face.

I pretended to look thoughtful. "Well…if it's anything like last night, you might as well buy everything the store has to offer" I purred. _Gag. I sound like Lauren…_

"Good! That leaves plenty for me!" Emmett continued, grinning from ear to ear. Couldn't he tell that this conversation did not involve him?

Alice was now throwing nervous glances at Rose, whose eyes were as wide as saucers.

A mischievous grin spread across Edward's face. "Okay. You might want to go clean up the kitchen counter while I'm buying it though" he replied, leaning closer to me and lowering his voice, "It's probably really sticky from when we--" His voice was cut off by the sound of Alice screaming. All heads in the hall were now turned on her and I couldn't hide the smirk slowly spreading across my face.

"What's wrong Alice?" I asked innocently.

She ignored the stares from everyone around her and looked from me to Edward. "You…you…how" she stuttered. _The great Alice has spoken!_

"Yes?" Edward urged.

"It…it wasn't supposed to be like that! You!" she pointed an accusing finger at Edward "were supposed to control yourself. You guys were supposed to gain trust in one another!"

"Excuse me Alice? I don't understand what you're saying" _This was going better than I thought._

She threw her hands up frantically. "It was only one date! You can't after one date! I'm so sorry Bella! It was my entire fault! I ruined everything! Now things may not work out!" she pleaded.

_She was right. IF something had happened, we would have been moving too fast; and that could have damaged the relationship._

I threw her an accusing look and she, just realizing what she'd said, looked at me sheepishly.

"What was your entire fault Alice?" Edward asked through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry" she squeaked. She glanced around the table for help but Rose was the only one who knew what was going on and she was busy admiring the table top. Emmett and Jasper were looking at one another with confused looks

"Could your apology have something to do with the fact that Edward had to undress me last night?" I asked.

Her eyes shot to mine. "It wasn't supposed to end that way I swear! I only wanted you guys to gain trust in one another."

Gain trust? The only thing I learned was that both of us would succumb to temptation rather easily. _But__she didn't know that._ I immediately forgave her though, because she'd had good intentions; good intentions to be gained in a slightly twisted way…

Edward wasn't so forgiving though.

"Did you know how close we came to?" he asked, clearly annoyed with her. A hopeful look immediately came into her eyes.

"Oh so you didn't?" she asked.

I shook my head and she gave a sigh of relief.

"I am so sorry; I promise I won't do that again!"

"That's right. You're not going to do anything that has to do with my relationship with Bella."

She hung her head and muttered a silent "okay."

"Good", Edward and I muttered simultaneously and began to gather our things so we could leave.

"Wait!" Emmett called. I glanced at him and he looked really thoughtful, and really confused… "So are you still going to get some whip cream?!" he asked. _Goodness gracious…_

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By the time we got back to our room I was pooped! I immediately sunk unto one of the loveseats and closed my eyes. No sooner had they closed and I felt Edward sit beside me; and lift my head to place upon his lap.

"Why are you tired?" he asked, "I was positive you had gotten excellent sleep last night" he said, his lips twitching as if remembering some joke.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, confused. Then comprehension hit me and I groaned. "What did I say in my sleep?"

He smiled and opened his mouth to speak but the sound of my cell phone ringing cut him off. He stood up and got it for me, glancing at the caller id.

"Jessica?" he asked, as if trying to remember something.

_Why would she be calling? I haven't talked to her in like forever. That's probably why. Some friend you are Bella…_

I took the phone from him and flipped it open.

"Hey Jess!" I said into the phone. From the other side, I could hear breathing; but no one answered.

"Jess?" I asked uncertainly. "Hello?" Still, no one answered but I could definitely hear breathing sounds from the other end.

And then there was a dial tone. She hung up on me?

"What happened?" Edward asked me.

I shrugged. "Don't know. No one answered, but I could tell someone was there."

_Odd. _

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**So, Jacob's not going to seem so nice in the next chapters to come...just thought i'd warn you. If you like him, I'm sorry but people voted for him to be the villain. I personally would have chosen Mike Newton but yea. I'm not a Jacob hater or anything.**

**So, it's time for me to go do my homework. But if enough of you want another update, i'll work really hard to get one in tomorrow:D My parents are making me stay home until i finish this weeklong make-up work in 2 days! I'm not the only one though, my friends have to too.**

**Review! and make my day:D**

**jojoStarr**


	19. Chapter 19 Third time's not a charm

**Thanks for all the great reviews!**

**Also, i forgot to credit part of the last chapter to Nothisisnotchelz. Thank you for the idea. :D**

**Disclaimer: Don't own the twilight series or any of it's characters.**

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Third time's not a Charm

Three weeks.

That's how long it's been since Edward and I have been dating. Things have been getting more and more serious (for me at least) and my feelings for him have intensified, but I can't get myself to admit that I might love him. I don't believe in love and he doesn't either. Right? If I were to tell him, he'd probably just end up leaving me. Plus, I'm a little surprised he's stayed with me this long. I mean, it's not like I'm anything special. Soon, he'll realize his mistake and go back to having kissing sessions with Lauren and her gang. But until then, I plan on making the most of our time together; I can't think of him leaving me.

It's also been three weeks since Jacob has been back at this school, I had called my parents and told them how long Jacob had been here; Renee had immediately believed me, but Charlie was denying everything. How could someone who used to be my best friend and boyfriend be threatening my life? I know it sounded off, but hopefully Renee would be able to convince him to come up here and check in a couple of days.

And it's been three weeks since the mysterious phone call. I tried calling Jessica back but it fell on the machine each time. Hopefully she would call me back.

Everything's been going great so far; and that's the problem. Nothing ever goes great in my life. I just know something wrong is going to happen soon.

Jayden's been sitting by me every time we have calculus so that Jacob won't bother me; but I think there's something wrong with Jacob. He's been smiling at me this whole week now. Smiling at me in a knowing way; as if waiting for something to happen. As if waiting for something bad to happen to me.

Now I'm sitting here at lunch with my friends and wondering if I should tell them about that. Maybe I'm being paranoid.

"Bella?" my head snaps towards the direction my name was called from; to find Edward with a worried expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

Is it really that obvious that I'm worried about something?

"Um, nothing really" I reply. He merely gives me an expression that lets me know he knows I'm lying, and we'll be talking about this later.

"Well, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" I ask.

"Someone in my class needs help prepping for a test and I've been assigned to tutor them after classes are over today."

"Oh. For how long?" It's going to be extremely lonely if he's gone for too long.

"About 4 hours, maybe less. It all depends on how long it takes them to learn; but I don't plan on staying there for too long."

"Ok-ay." Something just doesn't feel right. "Why did they choose you? And who are you tutoring?"

He shrugs. "I don't know who it is yet. For some reason they requested I not be told until I met them. Probably embarrassed that they might be failing or something. I don't know why they chose me when there are equally smart people in the class. But I do have to accept or my mom will find out and she won't be too happy that I turned down someone in need of help."

"Oh" I replied again, turning around in my seat. As he joined in with the conversation at the table, I let my eyes wander around the cafeteria; wander until they met the eyes of someone staring at me. It was Lauren, and when she saw me, she frowned and looked away.

The sense of déjöu that passed through my body was extremely hard to ignore.

_No, please don't let it be her…_

I tugged on Edward's shirt to get his attention. "Do you have any classes with Lauren?" I asked.

He looked confused. "Yes" then he understood. "Oh. You think it might be her?"

I nodded. _It definitely is her!_

"That explains her not wanting me to know yet" he continued.

I sighed and looked down. _Is this what she'd meant by she had her ways? _The image that flashed through my mind when I thought of Edward and Lauren being together, in the same room, alone, for a long time…anything could happen…but I trust Edward right? He wouldn't do anything…

Suddenly, there was a little sick feeling at the bottom of my stomach.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When classes were over for the day, the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach wasn't so little anymore. I felt like I was going to throw up; and Edward noticed.

We were standing just outside our dorm building and he was saying goodbye so he could leave.

He pulled me close to him and wrapped his arms around my waist; putting his chin on top of my head.

"If it is Lauren that I have to tutor, I need you to know you can trust me" he said, then pulled back to examine my face closely.

I tried to put on a smile for his benefit but I think it ended up looking like a grimace; and he noticed, again.

He seemed hurt. "Bella, I would never do anything to hurt you. I lo-" he stopped and looked into my eyes as if searching for something. _What is up with all these déjöu moments today!_

Again, whatever it was, he must not have found it because he sighed and looked away.

"What?" I asked. What did he want from me?

He brought his eyes back to me. "Nothing. I just need you to know that you mean a lot to me."

"And you to me. It's her I don't trust. "

"It'll be all right. And plus, we don't even know if it's her yet."

"You're right!" I said, cheered up again. There was still a little hope…

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I checked the clock for the 100th time that night. It was now 9pm. He'd been gone for at least five hours! I'd accomplished a lot of things in that space of time; things that could be done with crutches. I finished my homework, made up the bed, cleaned the kitchen, the living room, anything to keep me busy; and still it felt like he'd been gone a whole day.

I sighed as I sunk deeper into the long sofa. I was lonely; and I was bored. Maybe Alice could come up here. Alice! Why didn't I think of that before? But wait; what if she's with Jasper? Oh well, they can both come up here. I'm feeling selfish at the moment.

I slowly got up from the sofa and hobbled towards my bag to get my cell phone. As soon as I reached it, a beep sounded from it. A message? Maybe it's from Edward! This thought pushed me to make a quick grab for it.

I flipped the screen open and felt the blood leave my face. I blinked. Maybe I was hallucinating. Nope, still there.

_No. _No. It couldn't be. He promised…

I gripped the phone tighter in my hand as I made my way for the sofa; never taking my eyes off the screen.

I sat down and struggled to see through the tears that were now blurring my vision. All that was going through my mind was _He promised. He promised. He promised._

The picture on my screen wasn't really true was it? Edward was supposed to be tutoring, not sitting on a bed making out with Lauren! Who was I kidding, no one had that same bronze colored hair. Plus, he was facing me. _Unless he has a twin…_

I wiped the tears rolling down my cheeks. I wasn't going to cry over this. Three times! Three times in a row! What kind of bad luck did I have! Maybe this was a sign I was supposed to become a nun or something! Isn't the third time usually suppose to be lucky?

I could deal with this like I had all the previous times. _But this is different. You loved him. You didn't love any of the other guys._

I did not love him. There was no such thing as love…who was I kidding?

I saved the picture on my phone. I don't know why I did. Maybe I enjoy hurting myself; who knows! I don't know for how long I sat on that couch, just staring at the picture on the phone in my hands. Maybe a couple minutes, but it felt like an eternity. But as I was wiping my eyes again, my phone started to ring. There was only one person I wanted it to be, but it wasn't him. The screen said Jessica.

I brought the phone up to my ears "Hullo?" I asked, sniffling.

"Bella!" her joyful voice rang through the phone. So much more different from my depressed one.

Wait a minute! She called back! Maybe she can help me get through this, and explain why she hung up on me last night.

"Hey Jess" my melancholy voice replied.

"Bella, what's wrong?" her tone was now one of concern. _Wait, maybe I shouldn't tell her yet. Find out why she called…don't ruin her day too._

I cleared my throat and tried to brighten up my tone. "Nothing at all. I was just reading a sad book and my favorite character died is all." I knew she would buy the lie. I always got carried away whenever I read books.

"Wow, you still haven't outgrown that? That sounds so like you" she answered.

I attempted to laugh. It sounded fake even to my ears but I hope she wouldn't notice.

"Yeah. So what's up?" I asked.

"Nothing much!" she replied. Something was off about her tone. It's like she was faking too. Faking being cheerful? Yea, like she didn't actually want to talk to me.

"Guess what? I'm in Seattle!" she said.

"What?" I asked surprised. I hadn't been expecting that! What was she doing here?

"Yep! And I was wondering if you wanted to meet me so we could catch up! You know we haven't spoken in so long!" Why did it feel like there was a hint of sarcasm to her words?

"That's great" I replied cautiously. Something just didn't feel right. Why would Jessica be in Seattle? She was supposed to be in Phoenix at college.

"Aren't you suppose to be in school?" I asked.

"I am! My fashion designing class took a trip here to see some designers and we just got through for the day."

Oh. That makes sense. I suddenly felt bad for doubting my friend. What did I think she was up to anyways?

Then I remembered she had asked me to meet her somewhere. Edward would probably be coming back soon and I did not want to see him right now.

"Where do you want to meet?" I asked her.

"You might want to go get a pen and paper so I can tell you the directions"

I stood up with my crutches and made my way to my bag again, pulling out a notebook and a pen. I flipped to a new sheet of paper and sat back down.

"Okay. I'm ready."

She began to tell me the directions starting from the college. Then she told me the name of a movie theater which was by a bookstore; wait, that sounded so familiar. As I was writing down bookstore, I suddenly remembered.

"Oh! You want to meet at that movie theater? I've been there before" I told her, while dropping the directions I'd written onto the couch. I wouldn't be needing them.

"Well, in that case, I'll see you soon best friend!" she sang. I don't know why, but the way she'd said 'best friend' bothered me. It hadn't sounded sincere. I was about to say goodbye when I realized that I didn't have a car, and because of my leg, I couldn't drive.

"Wait Jess!" I said, hoping she hadn't hung up.

"Yeah?" was it me or did she sound irritated.

"I can't drive right now; my leg is in a cast. You want to come pick me up?"

It was silent for a moment and I was beginning to think she'd hung up. Then I heard a sigh.

"Sure, where do you live?"

A few minutes later I was standing outside my dorm building waiting for her. All this alone time was giving my mind lots of time to wander; and that's exactly what it did. It just figures that the only thing I could think about was Edward, and every time his name flashed across my mind I felt like crying. How could he do this to me? I could feel a sob threatening to escape but then something else flashed through my mind. I was never good enough for him to begin with. Just this morning I had told myself that he'd soon realize his mistake and go back to kissing sessions with Lauren. You jinxed yourself Bella! Idiot!

I saw headlights coming towards me and realized they must be Jessica. Thank goodness. I don't know how much longer I could have stood here, wallowing in my misery.

She stopped a few feet away from me and I hobbled towards the car. It took me a while to get in since she didn't help me with my crutches and all, but oh well. As soon as I was settled in and she was pulling away, I turned to look at her, and gasped.

She was so skinny! And she had dyed her hair chocolate brown and straight like mine. When she heard me gasp she turned to look at me and I noticed her once blue eyes were now also a chocolate brown. _Contacts? She never wore glasses…_

"Wow Jessica, you look um…different!" _She looked horrible! Like she hadn't eaten in ages!_

She turned back to the road. "You like it?" I merely turned in my seat to face the road. _No way am I answering that._

"It took me ages to find the right color brown for my hair" she continued.

"Why'd you change it?" I asked curiously.

Something short of a smirk flashed across her face. "I'm trying to impress somebody" she replied in a guarded tone.

Why did it feel like I was forgetting something immensely important!

"Oh. Who?" I asked.

"We'll talk about it at the bookstore" she answered.

_Did she just say _"Bookstore? I thought we were going to the movies?"

"What? That's what I said!" she replied, looking nervous.

_No you didn't, but whatever._

I stared out the window as she continued to drive; watching things whiz by. This reminded me so much of the time Edward had drove us to our first date and I had stared out the window, trying to figure out where we were going. _Edward._

I could feel myself begin to get sad all over again. None of this felt real. My boyfriend hadn't just cheated on me. My best friend wasn't here, all the way from Phoenix, taking me to the movies. I'm sure I'll wake up soon and find out it was just a dream. Or maybe I won't.

I sighed and waited for the tears to come, like they had been all night. Suddenly, I didn't care if I cried in front of Jess, but no tears came. Was I dried out? I know I'd cried a lot back at the dorm, now I just felt numb. Lifeless. Why is it that every time I feel it's okay to let my guard down for someone they feel like it's okay to hurt me? Now I would go to back to the hard cold shell I had been before meeting him and his friends. I wonder if Alice and the others knew.

I had learned my lesson about guys, I guess they all really were the same.

I snapped out of my train of thought when I felt the car stop. I looked up to see that Jessica had parked in front of the bookstore instead of the theater. I looked at the parking lot of the theater and noticed it was pretty packed. Maybe she hadn't wanted to park too far away.

She got out of her side of the car and began to walk towards mine. Maybe she was actually going to help me this time?

I opened the door and grabbed my crutches, steadying them as I pulled myself up. She closed the door for me and held onto one of my arms; then she switched arms, pushing me towards the bookstore.

"So how have things for you been?" I asked her as we began to walk past it.

She held up her hand and motioned for me to come towards the store.

I followed close behind. "It's closed" I told her.

"Oh" she said. "I know how much you love books and all, I was going to buy you one" she said, smiling.

"Aww, thanks. It's the thought that counts" I told her.

We turned away from the door and as I was about to take a step away, I felt something grab my arm.

At first I thought it was Jess again, but the hand felt so much bigger and it gripped me so much more tighter. I looked down at the hand and slowly moved my eyes up towards its owner. My suspicions were confirmed.

Just as I was about to open my mouth and let out a scream, I was pulled into the bookstore; into darkness.

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**I hope you guys don't really think Edward cheated on Bella. If you did, shame on you! lol you can guess on what really happened and I'll tell u if you're right:D**

**Also, I have a new story! The first chapter is up. Please check it out and tell me what you think. :D**

**Please Review**

**jojoStarr**


	20. Chapter 20 Kidnapped

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First, I want to thanks you guys for all the great reviews. Keep them coming! I was very happy to read all of them. Next, I want to apologize for the the long wait for this chapter. No good excuse except being busy. Sorry.

Also, as a reviewer pointed out, isn't it better to wait for a nice long update rather than receive a short and crappy one just for the sake of updating?

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Series or any of its characters.**

Kidnapped

My scream was caught in my throat as I was yanked fiercely through the door, causing my crutches to fall on the sidewalk in the process. I was now balancing on one foot and had to lean against him for support. As soon as I was in the room, something sticky was placed over my mouth.

_Ew! Duct tape?!_

The room was pitch dark and I struggled to wriggle free of his grip but he now had both of my hands. I struggled to speak but all that came out were muffled sounds.

"Turn on the lights Jessica" he said.

Wait a minute! Jessica was in on this?! But she was my friend! _But then again, Jacob used to be my friend too…_

I heard footsteps and there was a little click as all the lights came on. As soon as they did I quickly took in my surroundings. The bookstore was nothing but an empty square room, with a dirty floor, and newspaper covered windows!

I refused to look at the person holding me close to them but let my eyes wander to Jessica.

"Jess, how can you do this?" I asked.

"Huh?" she asked. I then realized that my words still sounded muffled and they couldn't understand what I was saying.

I let out and exasperated sigh and turned my head upward, towards Jacob; my kidnapper. _Kidnapper. I can't believe he followed through with his threat._

He was looking down at me, smiling that same smile he'd been giving to me all week. So, this had been what he'd been planning. I really should have told my friends, instead of overlooking it.

Jacob began to pull me towards the back of the little room and pushed me onto the floor, against the wall. I ignored the pain that coursed up my leg as it landed on the floor.

He then crouched in front of me, held both of my hands in one of his, and pulled a piece of rope out of his pocket with the other. I watched in horror as he tied my hands together behind my back and then returned to face me. "I will only take off the duct tape if you promise you won't scream or try anything funny."

I nodded. There was no point in fighting. It's not like I could just get up and run away. He was bigger, stronger, faster, and I was not going to make things worse by trying to escape.

"If you do" he continued, "it'll be back on before you know it."

I nodded my head furiously. _Just take the darn thing off! I have so many questions to ask, plus it's not like I have anyone to scream for._

He lifted one of his hands up and peeled the tape off; rapidly. I was about to scream, not for help, but in pain, but the warning look he gave me caused me to contain all the pain I held inside.

I licked my lips and stretched my mouth. It felt odd. Then I remembered there was one other person still in the room and I turned to look at her.

"I said, Jessica, how could you? You're supposed to be my friend. My best friend…"

The way she was looking at me was filled with hate. How could someone so close to you turn against you so quickly? Or had she always been this way and I hadn't noticed?

"What do you mean how could I?" she sneered. "Ms. Isabella Swan, always getting what she wants, well it's about time I got what I want" she said, looking pointedly at Jacob.

The way she was looking at him reminded me of something. "Oh my goodness! You guys are dating!" How could I have forgotten? Charlie had told me this at the hospital!

She smiled. "Yes we are" she said, waltzing up to him while swaying her hips. I could feel my eyes widen; was she seriously trying to be sexy for him?

I then remembered how she had told me she had dyed her hair and changed her eyes to impress someone. Was it Jacob?

I looked at him as he stood up and inched away from her. It was like a game of cat and mouse. Each step she took towards him, he would take one back. I took this as my chance and began to scoot along the grimy floor towards the door. They weren't paying any attention so I kept scooting over; however, my hands kept scraping on the floor behind my back and it was beginning to hurt.

"You're wasting your time Bella, the door's locked! And I'm sure you don't want any other body parts apart from your arms being tied down." Jacob yelled over to me.

I froze. _Tie me down?_

I turned back towards him. "What are you guys going to do me?" my voice came out barely above a whisper. The reality of what was happening was beginning to set in and I was definitely frightened.

"We're going to kill you!" Jessica squealed. I felt my breath hitch in my throat. _She was happy to kill me! Psycho! _I wracked my brain, trying to figure out if Jess had had any mental problems while we were friends. I'm sure I would have noticed…

"No we're not" Jacob responded.

She turned to him and frowned. "You promised! You said if I got her here, we would get rid of her and you and I could finally have a peaceful relationship."

"Why can't you have a peaceful relationship with me here?" I interrupted.

She turned to me and glared. "Because whenever we're together all he can think about is you! You! And YOU! Look what he made me do!" she gestured to herself and my eyes widened. "And it still isn't enough!"

Jessica had died her hair and changed her eyes to my color. She was trying to be me! I could feel all the blood leave my face.

_Talk about creepy…_

I took a deep shaky breath. "You guys will get arrested for this when you're caught."

They turned to me with amused glances.

"We're not going to get caught" Jacob said, "no one knows you're here."

_What?_

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"I saw you're little pretty boy leave you at the dorms. You were all alone; it's not like he knows you're here."

_He's been watching me?! _And he was right; Edward hadn't been there, and he didn't know where I was. But it's not like I wanted to see him anyway…

I slumped against the wall. No one was going to find me. I should have left a note or something…wait a minute! I had written down directions and left them on the couch! If he really wanted to find me, he would follow them. All I had to do was buy for time.

I quickly looked up to find Jacob and Jessica whispering furiously with one another. I strained my ears to make out the words being said.

"I didn't change like this for nothing!" Jessica hissed. "Were you using me?!"

Jacob had a look of indifference on his face as he replied "Yes. And now I have no use for you. You can leave because I have some business I want to take care of with Bella."

_Business? What sort of business?_

Jess stomped her foot on the ground and screamed. "How could you use me like that?! Why do you care so much about her anyways?! You told me you loved me, not her!"

I gasped; as I suddenly realized what had happened. It all made sense now. Why Jacob had left for Phoenix and begun dating Jessica. Jessica obviously must have liked him for quite a while and he used her to get to me; promising her things which he would never fulfill. But no matter how shallow a friend can be, had she really been planning on killing me? Over a guy? And the guy was Jacob; to make matters worse!

Jacob just gave her a blank face and began to make his way towards me. "If you want to leave, you are excused Jessica."

I watched her face contort from anger to hatred as she glanced at me.

"She doesn't even want you the same way you want her!" she screamed at him.

I watched Jacob flinch and anger gather in his eyes.

"I'll make her see that she does" he replied coldly.

_What does __**that**__ mean?! Please don't let that mean what I think._ I felt my eyes widen in fear and I raised my knees up to my chin; trying to pull myself together.

"I can give you what you want willingly. She won't" Jess continued, more pleadingly this time.

"I no longer need her permission" Jacob answered as he stopped right in front of me.

Those six words made my blood run cold in an instant. I could feel my body starting to shake in fear as I looked up at him.

_He wouldn't. _He would! _No he wouldn't!_ Would he?

He lowered himself in front of me as if to sit down, but ended up pulling me up to my good foot instead; then he held me so I wouldn't fall.

"Don't do anything you'll regret Jessica. As soon as I'm through I promise we can be together for real" he told her.

I took a sharp intake of breath as he pushed me up against the wall, crushing my arms against it; his eyes never leaving mine.

I heard Jess huff and sit down on the floor. She wasn't going to help me!

"Now Bella" he said, bringing himself closer to me. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Did he really think I was going to give myself up to him willingly?! I frowned and defiantly turned my face sideways.

"Okay, the hard way then. But don't say I didn't warn you."

As he brought his face closer to mine, my vision began to get blurry and I could feel tears threatening to spill. If only my hands weren't tied behind me and he wasn't what was holding me up, I would be able to push him back or something.

I felt his hot breath fan across my face as his lips touched my cheeks. _Gross. _

I began to pull at my hands, trying desperately to free them from the rope. No such luck.

Just the thought of what Jacob planned on doing to me made my body tremble more. If I didn't do something fast, he would get what he wanted in no time.

_I have to buy for more time!_

"Does Billy know what you're up to these days Jacob?" I hissed at him, trying to ignore the wet trail he was leaving from my jaw and down my neck.

When Billy's name was mentioned, he froze and pulled his face back slightly. "He won't find out" he replied in monotone.

"Yes he will. I'll tell him" I fired back.

He chuckled a little. _Good, I was distracting him. _"Your own father won't believe you and now you think mine will?"

He was right. My sorry excuse for a father; the one I had been so close to, had chosen Jacob over his own daughter.

"And it's not like you're leaving this place alive!" Jess yelled from across the room.

So this was it. He was going to get what he wanted and then get rid of the evidence. I had been so stupid.

As he brought his lips back to my face, I found myself hoping Edward had found the directions. Even if I was mad at him, he was the only one I wanted to see right now.

A whimper escaped my lips as Jacob's large hands made their way underneath my shirt. I struggled to lift my good foot so that I could kick him but that was nearly impossible. I would just end up falling. His hands were everywhere! He tried to pull my shirt off with one of his hands but it was impossible since my hands were tied behind me. I heard him give a grunt of frustration and pull back a little. He stuck the hand into his back pocket and pulled out a pair of _scissors?! _What all did he have in there?

My eyes widened when I realized just what the scissors were meant for. As he cut my shirt open from the front and dropped the remains of it onto the floor, I knew all hope was gone. There was a hungry look in his eyes as he took in my almost bare upper body; I still had my bra on, but who knows how long that was going to be there.

If my friends didn't get here in a couple of minutes, it would be too late. I knew by the look in Jacob's eyes that he wouldn't delay anymore. It's just as well that they would get rid of me when he was finished; I don't think I would be able to live with myself.

He reached forward towards me and began to unbutton my pants.

_Oh no. Please no._

The tears were now shamelessly flowing down my face. I was going to be raped, and there would be no one to stop it.

Just as those words flew across my mind, I heard a frustrated scream and turned my head to find Jessica storming across the room towards us.

"What is it now Jessica?" Jacob asked, sounding frustrated himself.

"You cannot expect me to just sit there and watch this!"

He still held me up but turned to her. "I told you you could leave."

"How about you go buy us some food so we can celebrate when this is all done?" he asked her.

She narrowed her eyes at me and walked towards the door. Jacob turned towards me but I continued to watch Jessica. I don't know why, but I felt as if I was waiting for her to do something. Mess something up. She unlocked the door and silently closed it behind her as she walked out.

She forgot to lock the door!

When Jacob was fully facing of me again, I had a huge smile on my face.

"There we go. You're now as excited for this like I am. Was Jessica's presence what was bothering you?" he asked me.

I immediately turned my smile upside down. How disgusting. He thought I was excited because of him!

His gaze fell to my lips and I knew what he was planning on doing next; I wasn't going to let him.

As I saw his face descending towards mine I quickly turned mine sideways. He however noticed this and wasn't about to give up. He put his lips on mine and began to kiss me. I remained motionless.

As I stood there with him kissing me, I realized that anything was worth getting him off me. Even if it meant that I would have to fall in the process. So, I steadied my good leg and quickly raised it up. Then, as hard as I could, I slammed it into his groin area.

He froze on me and I could see pain spread across his face. But he didn't pull back like I'd expected him to, therefore, I didn't fall.

"You are going to pay for that" he squeaked at me.

I obviously hadn't hit him hard enough. I'd wanted him to pull back so that I could quickly crawl out the door. His grip on me was just as strong as before but he was taking a moment to contain whatever pain he was feeling in.

With my plan foiled, I could feel despair setting in. I looked towards the door, my only way of escape, and froze.

I could see it slowly and silently opening. I glanced back at Jacob but he hadn't noticed yet.

I could feel my heart pounding unevenly in my chest as I thought of all the possible people it could be. I was just hoping it would be anyone but Jessica.

A form silently slipped into the room and closed the door.

Edward.

Relief and excitement washed over me at the sight of him. He put his index finger to his lips; an action for me to be silent. I was silent, but I couldn't stop the grin that was spreading across my face.

"What are you smiling at?" I heard Jacob's voice ask.

I quickly turned back to him when his eyes began to turn towards Edward and kissed him.

I didn't want him knowing Edward was in here yet. If Edward could take him by surprise, then this could be over much quicker.

As I kissed him, I felt him smile and pull back.

"Did you change your mind?" he asked, looking at me with that same hungry look.

I glanced behind him to find Edward with a furious expression on his face and I quickly looked back.

"Not really" I answered.

"Then what-?" he began to ask, but was cut off as Edward pulled him off me and flung him across the room. Because of how quickly he was taken off me and my lack of support, I landed on my butt with a soft thump.

I looked away from the scene in front of me, which was basically Edward beating the living daylights out of a very surprised Jacob, and thought over what had just happened.

_I had almost been raped by my ex-boyfriend. _That moment, all the emotions I'd been holding in finally made themselves known.

I had no control over myself as I curled up into a little ball on the grimy fall and shook as violent sobs left my body. I suddenly realized that I was not only crying because of what Jacob had almost done to me, but also because my best friend had betrayed me; my 'perfect' boyfriend had cheated on me, and he still had the courtesy to save me from said ex; and I now had no one I could really rely on, not even my parents.

Edward quickly looked back at me with a panicked expression and bent down to pick me up. He quickly engulfed me into a hug before he began to untie the rope holding my hands down.

"I'm so sorry I let it happen Bella" he said to me.

Was there a double meaning to his words? Was he talking about cheating on me or that Jacob got to me?

I decided I wasn't going to dwell on that; I didn't really feel like talking about it. Not now; not ever.

But I couldn't act as if everything was okay when it wasn't. That's why I didn't say a word to him as he wrapped his arms tightly around my shaking body and placed his chin on my head. My voice would easily reveal all the emotions coursing through my body. I simply wrapped my arms around his waist and tried to imprint this moment into my memory. This would probably be the last time I would hold him like this. And as much as it broke my heart, I knew that I couldn't go on with him knowing he'd cheated on me.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize I'd been moved until I felt Edward placing me in the passenger seat of his car.

He looked at me with a very concerned expression as he silently closed the door. I waited for him to get into his side but he didn't. He was still standing beside my door, but on his cell phone this time.

I had a very good guess as to who he was calling.

As I sat in the car waiting for him, I felt dirty. I had no shirt on and there was dirt on my back from when I'd laid on the floor. I could also sense every single spot on my body where Jacob had touched me because they seemed to sting.

I stared forward at the closed door of the bookstore in front of me and wished I was anywhere but here. But I had to remain until Edward was finished with his call. We finally had enough proof to put Jacob in jail and I was going to be here when they took him away. I needed to see it; proof that I would be safe from now on.

Edward snapped the cell phone shut and quickly made his way to the driver's seat. As he sat down, I looked up at him. Something in my eyes must have frightened him because he seemed shocked for a moment before he quickly pulled me closer to him; while I remained unresponsive.

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**Well, that was extremely depressing to write! I'm also not very good with action scenes if you can't tell already. Sorry.**

**Please Review and tell me what you thought. :D**

**jojoStarr**


	21. Chapter 21 Sorry

**Wow, I was thrilled with the amount of reviews last chapter received. Because it was so depressing, I didn't think many would review. But thanks! Let's not even tak about what I did this time :D**

Sneak preview for the next chapter for the people who can guess which song this comes from. I swear, if my mom plays this one more time, I'm going to break the speakers in her room. It's been stuck in my head all day!

So put your arms around me  
And then stay there forever  
Let it always be this way  
You and me together

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Sorry

"Bella, please talk to us."

My friends had been telling me that for the past three hours ever since we got home. But I couldn't get myself to answer. I knew I should, but I hadn't even moved positions ever since Edward had set me on this couch. They thought I was in shock and were getting more worried by the second. I couldn't see them since I was staring off into blank space, but I could hear the urgency in their voices.

I had heard Edward call his father a few minutes ago and ask if he could bring me to the hospital. I had thought _what for, it's not like I'm sick_ but when he mentioned that I was just being checked for injuries, my mind had immediately snapped back to Jacob; causing me to shudder involuntarily.

Jacob had been arrested and I had seen it with my own two eyes. He'd just regained consciousness and was a little confused as to what was going on. It was a good thing I was sitting in a car because I wasn't going to be the one to spark his memory.

Questions had been fired at me by the police and I had answered them in a dazed state; not really knowing what I was saying. I do however, recall telling them about Jessica. And they had told me that as soon as she was found, she could be arrested as well for being an accomplice.

Flashback:

_Would you like to be present in court at the time of his trial? – _an officer asked me.

No. – I had replied._ (I never wanted to set eyes on Jacob ever again)._

_That's okay. You don't need to; we have all the evidence we need. Do you want to go to the hospital and have your body checked?_

No! He didn't go all the way! – I had shrieked, causing them to be a little surprised.

_All right Sir, (Edward), you may take her home. – _he said, putting his notepad in his pocket.

Wait! What about Jessica? What are you going to do with her? – I asked frantically.

_Who's Jessica? _– he'd asked, pulling his notepad out again.

And I'd told him everything. How she'd tricked me into coming, and then left me alone with Jacob.

Now, after I'd had a change of clothes, against my wishes, I was being taken to the hospital anyways.

I felt a pair of arms lift me off the couch and I knew immediately, that it was Edward. He told his friends to go back to their rooms for we would be back shortly before walking out the door. As soon as he stepped outside I panicked and immediately tightened my grip on his shirt. It was so dark and quiet. I had been used to staring into the light, with my friends' voices radiating in the background.

Edward placed me in the passenger seat of the car and buckled my seat belt before going around to his side. He had been so caring and gentle with me ever since he found me that I was beginning to doubt that he'd cheated; or maybe he was a really good actor…

We pulled into the hospital parking lot and he was soon carrying me in. I rested my head against his chest and could feel his heart beating abnormally fast. What was he worried about?

I felt his chest move as he spoke to someone and I was soon placed on a bed. As I stared up at the ceiling, I heard Edward pull a chair up to the bed and hold my hand. We stayed like that in silence for a while before I heard someone else walk into the room.

They walked up to me and peered into my face. I instantly recognized Dr. Cullen. He called my name, asked me a question, but I didn't answer. I couldn't answer. It would bring me back to the real world and right now, I wanted to be anywhere but there.

"How long has she been like this?" Dr. Cullen asked his son.

"At least three hours. When we got back Alice said she didn't utter a word as she cleaned her and changed her clothes. Then when we sat her in the living room she just stared off into space and didn't respond to any of our questions."

Dr. Cullen looked thoughtfully down at me again before speaking to his son.

"I'll check her then let her get some rest. If she sleeps and wakes up, she should be back to normal."

_Back to normal? I didn't want to go back to normal! I was enjoying this numb and pain free world I was stuck in._

But as soon as the doctor finished checking me, I could feel myself getting drowsy; and I soon fell asleep.

The feeling of being asleep, I hated it. I felt so alone and vulnerable. Not long after I thought that, images of that night started to flash across my mind. Jessica, the bookstore, and Jacob; caused me to shudder. But when my mind turned to Edward, I could feel calm and peace settle over my body. I flipped my eyes open and searched the hospital room. Where was he?

I was all alone in the small white room. I was sleepy, but I couldn't fall asleep knowing I was alone. So, I stared at the door, hoping someone would walk through it sometime soon.

A couple of minutes of staring at the door and I finally heard footsteps.

Edward looked at me questioningly as he stepped into the room but I simply scooted over on the little bed to show him what I wanted. He nodded a little and walked over to the bed. After taking off his shoes, he lay down and pulled me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around him as he began to hum our lullaby and soon feel asleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A sudden movement next to me caused me to wake up.

"Sorry" Edward said sheepishly. It seems he'd been about to get off the bed.

"It's all right" I said.

A look of disbelief flashed across his face.

"What?" I asked. Then I realized it was because I had spoken. "Oh."

A huge grin spread across Edward's face and he pulled me to him. But when I didn't hug him back, he pulled back and looked at me questioningly.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

I knew we would have to talk about it soon, but I didn't want to talk about it right now.

"How long did I sleep?" I asked, changing the subject.

He looked at me for a moment before opening his mouth to reply. "A while. It's evening now" he said, tilting his head towards the single window in the room.

I glanced at it and sure enough, it was dark out. I slept practically an entire day!

Edward got off the bed and ran his fingers through his hair nervously. I knew he was thinking deeply about something.

I sat up and swung my feet to the side of the bed. Wait a minute…

"Where'd my cast go?" I asked him.

He smiled. "Dad said it was okay to take it off."

Well, that was one good thing that'd happened to me so far. I could finally walk on my own two feet.

I let my feet dangle over the edge of the bed and I sat, waiting for Edward to speak. He sat down on the bed and turned himself so he was facing me.

"Bella, why did you leave last night without telling me?" he asked.

"You weren't there."

"I know. But I told you I might be late; you could have at least called me."

"I'm not sure you would have heard me, considering how _busy _you were." I stressed the word busy to show him that I knew what he'd been doing when he was supposedly 'tutoring'.

"I was busy. Yes. But by no means too busy too answer your call."

I snorted. "Really? Who were you tutoring by the way?"

He seemed a little puzzled by my attitude but answered nonetheless. "It was Lauren, like you'd suspected. But don't worry, I had everything under control."

_By under control, did he mean he'd just let her have her way?_

"Whatever. You found me and that's all that matters" I said, trying to end the conversation. Just talking about this was driving me crazy.

"No!" he screamed, grabbing my shoulders and turning me to face him. I must have looked frightened because he quickly dropped his hands and stood up from the bed.

"What if you hadn't written down directions and left them on the couch?" he asked, as he paced back and forth. "Or, if I had arrived just one minute later? He would have gotten what he wanted!"

He stopped in the middle of the room and grabbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger; while taking in deep breaths.

"I promised you I would never let him touch you, but now, you'll probably be scarred for life. And it's my entire fault!"

"Well Edward, you promised me a lot of other things but they were flushed down the drain yesterday so don't worry about it."

"What? What do you mean?" he asked, dropping his hand and looking at me confusedly.

"Don't act like you don't know. You were busy 'tutoring' Lauren" I said, putting air quotes around tutoring. "None of this was your fault. It was bound to happen sometime soon."

"Why do you speak as if I wasn't tutoring her but doing something else? Are you suggesting something?"

Well, my plan for not talking about this right now had just been flushed down the drain as well.

"Damn right I'm suggesting something. I even have the picture to prove it!" I screamed at him.

He flinched and stared at me. "I don't know what you're talking about. Please explain" he said slowly, as if speaking to someone who wasn't capable of understanding.

"You want me to explain?" I asked. He nodded.

I jumped down from the bed to stand in front of him but since I wasn't used to standing on my two feet yet, I was unstable and soon began to fall.

Edward was by my side in an instant, holding me up. I pushed his hands off me, ignoring the hurt expression that came onto his face, and held the side of the bed to steady myself.

"Bella?" I heard my name being called and a new found anger found its place in me.

Charlie.

I ignored him and turned to Edward. "I want to leave now."

"But your parents are here" he said, motioning towards my mother and father.

"What parents? I have _no _idea what you're talking about."

He looked at me with a shocked expression before heading towards the door. I turned and followed him, stumbling a little.

Just as I was about to pass my parents in the doorway, Charlie grabbed me by the shoulders and placed me in front of him.

"Let. Go." I said, in a calm, cold voice while shoving his hands off.

"Please, just talk to us" he said, a pleading note in his voice.

I turned to my mother and it seemed like she was on the verge of tears. My heart almost broke when I saw what I was doing to her. I wasn't mad at her, just Charlie. He was the one who hadn't believed me.

I put my arms around her neck. "Its okay mom" I whispered into her ear. "I'm all right."

She sniffled as I pulled back. "We're sorry we didn't do something about him earlier…I…"

I cut her off and smiled at her. "I'm not mad at _you _mom. _You _believed me and were about to do something about him. Okay?"

She let out a sigh of relief and a slight smile made its place onto her face.

"I just want to go rest now. I'll talk to you later" I told her, and began to make my way out the door again where Edward was waiting.

"Bella, please" Charlie said again.

"Give me one good reason why I should?" I asked, glaring at him.

"Because I love you and I'm very sorry" he looked like he was in pain, but I wasn't about to forgive him that easily.

"You love me, but not as much as you love Jacob. You're sorry, but not as much as you are that your ideal son is now going to be in jail" I retorted.

"How can you think that?" he asked, obviously getting frustrated with me.

"How can I think that? If I'm correct, when I told you Jake was stalking me, you believed him over your own daughter! That right there shows how your priorities are lined up."

"It's not like I didn't want to believe you. But if you were in my shoes, you would have found it hard to believe too."

"But you chose not to believe me and that's all that matters."

"But you've got to forgive me sometime" he pleaded.

"Sure" I said, smiling. I watched as he gave a sigh of relief.

"I'll eventually forgive you; just don't expect it sometime soon." As I turned away from him, the sad expression that settled on his face was enough to make me run back and apologize for being so rude; but I didn't. I wouldn't let him get to me.

I walked to Edward and followed him as he walked out of the hospital.

"Are you sure you're happy with what you just did?" he asked, referring to my conversation with Charlie.

I knew I would feel guilty about it later. But right now, all I could feel was anger.

I crossed my arms over my chest stubbornly as I sat down in his car.

He sighed and started the car.

"Bella, please tell me what's going on. You were going to explain to me what was wrong before Charlie interrupted us."

"I. Don't. Want to talk about it."

I don't know what was wrong with me. It's like if I didn't talk about it, then I could pretend like it hadn't happened. How pathetic.

"How are we supposed to solve a problem if you won't tell me what it is!" he grumbled.

Why does he keep acting as if he doesn't know?!

The frustration was building up in me and I felt like I would blow up like an atomic bomb if I didn't get this off my chest soon.

"You're a cheating bastard!" I blurted out and immediately clamped my hand over my mouth.

He pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned to face me.

"What?" he asked me, with an astounded expression on his face.

I looked down at my fingers in my lap. "You cheated on me with Lauren" I modified.

"What on earth makes you think that?!" he asked, looking incredibly angry.

"I have proof" I said quietly.

"Bella, I don't know what you've seen but I would never cheat on you! How can you believe something so ridiculous?"

I refused to look up at him and didn't speak. He lifted my chin up, forcing me to look into his eyes.

"You have to believe me" he whispered.

I wanted so much to believe him. The look in his eyes told me he was doing anything but lying; but I just couldn't get myself to believe it. I mean, it only made more sense that he would cheat on me.

"But what about the picture on my phone?" I asked him.

"What picture?" he asked, removing his finger from beneath my chin since he knew I wouldn't look down anymore.

"A picture of you and Lauren making out on a bed was sent to me."

A scowl etched its way onto his forward and he looked thoughtful for a moment.

"It's probably an old photo. You know, before I met you. But when we get back you have to show it to me so I can confirm that."

An old picture? I hadn't even thought of that!

I felt so bad that I had doubted Edward. He looked so hurt that words couldn't begin to describe how sorry I was.

He hadn't been lying to me. Lauren had warned me she would try something and this was probably what she'd meant. I was ashamed that I had fallen for her trick so easily.

"I'm so sorry I didn't believe you Edward."

He looked away from me. "It's fine" he said, as he started the car and drove again.

I could tell things were far from fine. He was mad that I hadn't believed him. How could I make it up to him?

"What do I have to do to show you how much you mean to me?" he asked, sounding exasperated. It seemed like he was talking more to himself rather than me.

I sighed and reached over to turn up the volume of his radio. A piano composition soon filled the car and I found myself relaxing into the seat.

"Piano concert in two days, are you ready?" he asked me, breaking the silence.

I could literally feel a light bulb shining above my head at that comment. Perfect!

"Actually, I was wondering if I could perform by myself" I asked quietly.

He sighed. "Why? Don't you still believe me?"

"What? Of course I believe you; I just have to do this. Please don't take it the wrong way."

"Fine" he grumbled and pulled into our dorm parking lot.

When we walked into the room, I showed him the picture on my phone. He looked at me disappointedly and pointed at the little date at the bottom of the picture. The picture had been taken at least six months ago. I could feel myself getting guiltier by the second and I apologized to him all over again.

I spoke to my friends and apologized for my earlier behavior but they were just as understanding as usual.

Alice had already planned a shopping trip to take my mind off Jake, especially now that I could walk. And Emmett let me know that he'd scheduled a visit to the jail to cuss Jacob out.

We talked for a bit more but my mind wasn't in the present. I was thinking about the amount of work I would have to do tomorrow. Not only would I have to deal with a certain Ms. Lauren (ooo, she would be surprised to see Edward and I together tomorrow) but I would also have to write a whole new composition in a couple of hours.

That night, as we went to bed, I already had a plan forming its way into my mind. I wasn't doing this to win anymore. I was doing it to send a message across. I already had my words down; all I needed was the music. I just hoped that he wasn't too mad that I wanted to do the concert alone. If he did it with me, then there would be no surprise.

I could feel Edward's steady breathing from beside me and I snuggled closer to him. He was already asleep.

How could I have doubted him?

"Goodnight Edward. I'm so sorry." I whispered to him, not expecting him to reply since he was already asleep.

"It's all right love" he said.

I froze. There was no way I had just heard that. I must be hallucinating; that was what I would want him to say if he was awake! His eyes were still closed and he hadn't moved positions at all.

I quickly shook the thought out of my mind and wrapped my arms around him; quickly drifting to sleep.

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**This is so sad. I predict about 2 chapters left. Well, I'm finally on spring break but I'll be leaving for Mexico in a couple of days. I'll try my hardest to put up updates while I'm over there though! :D**

**Review and say Hey! :) Don't forget to tell me what you thought of the chapter!**

**jojoStarr**


	22. Chapter 22 Soul Mates?

**Here's the long chapter I promised. Sorry it took so long; I just got back last night and was finally able to finish it.**

**I want dedicate this chapter to crimson hearts and chinmayee for your very thoughtful reviews. Obsessed over Twilight, cem1818, AliceMakesMeLaugh, Hey-Hah 13 belladoesn'tdeserveedward, Nyushie & LivforLove whose reviews had me laughing my ass off on the plane ride over there. There would have been no problem with that if everyone around me wasn't sleeping. I am constantly embarassing myself because of you guys. lol. :D**

**Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. Remember how the maid watched me do my happy dance last time and thought I was crazy? Well now, everytime I go to the computer, she watches me as if she's waiting for it to happen again. So tonight, I'm going to purposely do it and try to write down what she says so someone can translate it. It may not be correct, but I am really curious to find out what she thinks of me!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own the Twilight Series or any of its characters.**

* * *

Soul mates?

When I woke up the next morning I wasn't surprised to see Alice in my closet, once again, but I was surprised to find the spot next to me on the bed empty.

I sat up and quickly rubbed my eyes. "Where's Edward?"

She jumped a little, probably startled that I was awake, before replying. "He's getting you breakfast from the dining hall", and then returned to her previous task of choosing my outfit for the day.

I slowly stood up, making sure my other leg was now used to my body weight, before making my way to the bathroom for a shower.

When I came back, Alice had already laid an outfit out on the bed for me as usual; but this time, I didn't argue. I would need to look good for my confrontation with Lauren.

I grinned to myself as I thought of what I planned to do to her and Alice gave me a skeptical look.

"What? No death threats about the outfit yet?" she asked, looking incredulous.

"Nope" I said smiling, as I pulled on the black cuffed shorts and the cap-sleeved silk top. It was actually really cute and not that revealing; and the heels weren't that high.

"Do you want to go shopping after classes today?" I asked her.

She froze for a second and a slow smile spread across her face.

"Okay, what's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing; I just need an outfit for the piano contest tomorrow. "

"All right! And, we could have a girl's night at my dorm room tonight!" she added, clapping her hands excitedly. "We haven't really hung out together for a while."

She was right, we hadn't. But I couldn't imagine going to sleep without Edward's chest as my pillow.

"Okay" I agreed silently.

"Oh come on Bella, it'll be just one night; you can live without Edward" she teased. _Actually Alice, no I can't._

Just then I heard the front door open, and knowing Edward was back, I told Alice to hurry her actions so I could go meet him.

She simply raised her eyebrows at me and opened her mouth as if to say something, but snapped it back shut. Wonder what that was about.

She was soon finished with my make up and left to go get herself ready. I picked up my bag from beside the bed and walked out the room to find Edward looking intently at the T.V. I walked over to him and he pulled me down onto his lap, and then pointed at the television.

When I glanced at it, I realized why he'd been so absorbed in it. He'd been watching the morning news and right now they were talking about my kidnapping last night.

I reached for the remote control and increased the volume so I could hear what the anchorman was saying.

"That's right; Mr. Black will be having his trial tomorrow night to determine how many years in jail he'll be receiving. But his accomplice, a Jessica Stanley, is no where to be found at the time."

I gasped as a recent picture of her was flashed onto the screen. I don't think I'd ever get used to her new look.

"If you see a woman who looks like this, do not hesitate to report her to the police" he finished. "Now onto other news…" I turned down the volume and turned in Edward's lap to look at him.

_They haven't found her. _Was what kept running through my mind. But I didn't really think she'd actually come after me; I mean, you'd have to be insane to do that…

He seemed to understand what was running through my mind because he pulled me closer to him and buried his face in my hair. "They'll find her" he promised. _I hope so._

I laid my head on his chest and inhaled. "You smell soo good" I said, and then my eyes widened. _Wait, did I say that out loud?_

I pulled back and looked at him with wide eyes. "I mean…" but he simply let out that low chuckle of his and pulled me in for a kiss.

His lips felt so good; and I hadn't kissed him ever since yesterday. I soon found myself getting lost in it and I wrapped my arms around his neck to bring him closer. As my lips moved urgently against his, I felt him smile and pull back.

"We better get going or we're going to be late for class" he said. An automatic groan escaped my lips as I began stand up. "Unless you want to take today off…" he trailed off suggestively.

I froze with my rear in midair and turned to him with raised eyebrows to see if he was joking. He was grinning at me and there was nothing but amusement in his eyes.

_Well two can play at that game buddy. _I sat back down on his leg and slowly ran my index finger down the side of his face. "All right" I answered, in what I could only hope was a seductive voice considering my lack of experience in this area.

I felt him freeze beneath me and his eyes averted my gaze. "Um…I was just kidding you know" he said, somewhat nervously.

"I was just kidding Edward" I assured him, surprised that he'd actually believed me.

As he gave me my muffin and led the way outside, I couldn't help but notice that he still looked a tad embarrassed; and I don't think it was just from my fake suggestion. I was definitely asking Alice about this tonight.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

By the time noon rolled around, I was ecstatic. My Jacob free day so far had been amazing and now I was off to give Lauren a piece of mind.

I hurried as quickly as I could and entered the hall; only to have my heart drop.

Alice and Rose seemed to be fuming as they watched the person across the table from them. Lauren. She was literally throwing herself all over Edward and I could feel the steam blowing out of my ears.

_Screw the plan; she has drained the last of my patience. _

With this thought in mind, I stormed over to one of the mini cafes in the hall and purchased a cup of hot coffee and a bowl of chili. The cashier looked at my strange combination with amusement but I simply shrugged; it wasn't for eating.

I took the food and made my way towards my friends. When I was close enough to the table, I stopped just behind Lauren to hear what she was saying.

"If the reason you keep refusing is because you want double the fun, then I could totally get Tanya to join us; but it's me you really want" her nasally voice said, while she shoved her chest in his face. I looked at the look of disgust on Edward's face and decided I would be forgiven for my actions; no matter how immature it was. This girl had some nerve because she did not just offer him what I think she did.

"Hey Lauren" I said, sweetly from behind her.

She froze and slowly turned towards me; her expression quickly turning to one of distaste.

"What do you want Swan? Can't you tell I'm busy?"

"Yes, you are. With _my _boyfriend" I added calmly.

Her eyes narrowed to slits as she glared at me. "He's no longer yours. Haven't you checked your phone lately?" she asked, a smirk playing on her lips.

The reminder of what she'd done last night made me decide to forget the casual conversation. Especially when she was talking about it calmly as if it was an everyday ordeal. I glanced at her outfit and smiled. All white.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to sit down now" I said, taking a step forward, but falsely stumbling; sending the items in my hands flying and causing the contents to spill all over Lauren.

Her face crumbled in pain as the hot liquids made their way all over her body and she let out an ear splitting scream.

In my act of stumbling, I'd even gone so far as to pretend to fall on the ground so that it would look real. Now, as everyone in the hall turned to look at Lauren, I stood up and straightened my clothes.

"I am so sorry Lauren! Here let me help you" I said, reaching out to her; not really knowing what I was going to do. But hey, I looked like the good guy now.

"Don't touch me!" she shrieked, before turning on her heel to walk away. But the surface she'd been standing on had gotten slippery, and she slipped, almost falling to the ground before she continued to storm towards the door. Her minuscule outfit was completely drenched, leaving little to the imagination and I tried to rid my mind of the images that would now be forever stored in there. _Does she wear anything underneath those things she calls clothes?_

"Sick! She goes commando!" Emmett boomed. _Well, guess not._ As Rose smacked him upside of his head, I laughed and sat down.

"Why were you looking?" she hissed, clearly annoyed with him. He realized he was in trouble and I watched his mouth open and shut as he struggled to find a good explanation.

"I wasn't looking! She was right there! I mean, don't tell me you weren't staring either" he shot back.

She simply rolled her eyes at him threw me a smile. "Way to go Bella. I was getting ready to do something like that if she didn't leave."

I was about to thank her, but was interrupted with a chorus of "me too" from around the table.

I smiled at them looked at Edward as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me to him. "Thank you for saving me" he murmured into my ear.

I shivered a little and rested my head on his chest. "Hey, we're going to the mall after our last class and Alice is making me sleep over."

He pulled back and I got a good look at the pout that had now become prominent on his face. "Why do you have to sleep over?" he asked quietly.

I chuckled at his expression and laid my head back on his chest. "Because we haven't spent time together lately."

"But what if I refuse? I can't sleep if you're not there."

"Me either. But I can tell Alice won't back down so let's make the most of our time together now okay?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As Edward drove us in his Volvo to the mall, I tried to stretch out my cramped fingers and winced. I had worked a little too hard in class today. But it had to be done and my hard work had paid off. The song was finished and if I was a judge, rating on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd definitely be giving me an 11! But I wasn't a judge; and it was my song so of course I'd be a bit biased.

I quickly set my hands back into my lap so as not to worry him.

We were the first ones to arrive at the mall, due to Edward's crazy driving, so we got out and waited for our friends in front of the main entrance. About a couple of minutes later, they arrived, and we made our way inside.

"Okay Alice" I said, turning to her. "I only need ONE outfit. So please don't overdo it?" I pleaded.

"Since when do I overdo shopping?" she asked, rolling her eyes. All eyes seemed to turn to her at that comment. "All right! I promise I won't overdo it" she said, raising her hands in submission.

She overdid it. Four hours and 15 filled to the brim shopping bags later, we were sitting in the food court getting ready to buy some food. I'd given up trying to stop her after the fifth bag and now not only were my feet hurting, but my stomach was having a rather loud conversation with itself.

"What would you like to eat?" Edward whispered into my ear. I sighed and enjoyed his proximity for a moment before I remembered that he'd asked a question.

"I'm feeling Chinese today. How about some fried rice and sweet & sour chicken?" I asked.

He nodded and left to go get out food. Not a second later and my friends were getting up to get their food too. Guess I was left alone.

I smiled as I watched my boyfriend head over to the little Peking restaurant across the court. I can't believe I'd almost lost him. I was so absorbed in watching his retreating form that I didn't notice someone had sat next to me until I heard a voice by my ear.

"I know your feet must be tired baby 'cause you've been running through my mind all day!" _What the-? _

I slowly turned in my seat to find a familiar stranger. He had blonde hair and blue eyes and I couldn't quite remember where I'd met him before.

"Do I know you?" I asked. As he opened his mouth to reply, his eyes glanced down to my chest, and I remembered. "You're the waiter from the Herbfarm!" I exclaimed. _More like the pervert who was dishing out our food. What was his name? Matt? Maurice? Dexter?_

A cheeky grin flashed across his face and he brought his face closer to mine. "I see you've thinking about me too."

I scooted as far away as the chair would allow and tilted my head away. "Sure. What do you want?"

"Well, I figured since you're sitting here by yourself I'd come and ask you out to dinner" he replied nonchalantly.

I opened my mouth to reply but stopped when I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder. "Hate to break it to you pal, but the lady is not here by herself."

I smiled up gratefully at Edward and watched as he set our food on the table before sitting down. He wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed me quickly before leaning forward to glare at our unwanted visitor.

I turned to look at him. "Um…?"

"Mike" he put in. _Boy, I was way off. _

"Yes, Mike. It was nice seeing you again and all but…"

The sound of a chair screeching on the floor as it was pulled back too quickly cut me halfway through my speech. Edward had gotten up and he was now towering over a cowering Mike.

"Wait a minute; you're the waiter who wouldn't keep his eyes off her breasts for one second on our first date!"

His eyes widened in fear as he saw the anger in Edward's eyes. "Who? Me? Nah. Pshh. You've got the wrong guy" he squeaked.

I put a hand over my lips to cover the giggle that was threatening to escape as I watched Edward take a step back and point at him.

"Get. Lost." The guy didn't need any other warning because he was out that chair and off in a second.

"Hey, you saved me today too" I joked at Edward as he sat back down. But he wasn't laughing. In fact, he was seething. I guess he wasn't too fond of…what was the name? Stanley?

The rest of the time we spent in the food court eating, it seemed Edward couldn't keep his hands off me. Not that I minded, but it was something new.

"What are you doing?" I asked, as he slowly kissed his way up my neck.

"Making the most of our time together remember? She's going to steal you as soon as we get back."

Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that. I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist and tried to get as close to him as possible. I felt him chuckle a bit beneath me and I was soon lifted up into the air, and placed on his lap.

"That better?" he whispered into my ear.

"Much."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I fell back onto our bed as the last of the shopping bags were brought into the room.

"Let's go Bella!" Alice yelled from the living room.

I sat up and went to look for Edward. He was in the living room, speaking intently about something to Alice.

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked, standing by them.

"He's trying to convince me to let you stay. But it's not happening, now let's go"

I looked down at Edward and he seemed a little sad. It made me a little happy that he didn't want me to leave either. "Edward, can I borrow one of your shirts?"

He looked up at me questioningly. "It'll help me sleep" I explained. As he stood up to go get one for me, Alice turned to smile.

"You guys are acting like an old married couple" she smirked.

I opened my mouth to say something about her and Jasper but a shirt was hung in front of my face and I gladly accepted it. I turned around and threw my arms around his neck.

"I'll miss you" he said.

"Me too." And then, forgetting there was someone else in the room, I leaned up and kissed him. His grip on me tightened as he pulled me closer and slowly kissed me back. I soon felt his tongue slowly trace my bottom lip, as if asking for entrance, and I quickly granted it. My hands tangled themselves into his hair as our tongues danced together, and I could have stayed there forever; but the annoying tapping of Alice's shoes on the floor caused me to slowly pull back. Well, that had to have been the most passionate kiss we'd had yet and as I looked up into his eyes, I knew he thought the same. A series of emotions seemed to flash through his eyes as he looked down at me, and I soon found myself blushing. Now would be as good a time as any to tell him how I felt, but I was too cowardly; and I found myself giving him one last hug before leaving with Alice.

As we went downstairs to her room, I felt her sneaking sideways glances at me the whole way.

"What?" I asked, after catching her for about the hundredth time.

"Nothing. Just, you and my brother seem to have it bad. I didn't think you'd ever stop. It was like you'd never see each other again" she quickly answered.

"What do you mean we have it bad?" I asked her.

"We'll talk about it in here" we'd stopped and she pointed the door in front of us.

I pushed it open and walked in. It was just as big as Edward's, except accessorized with more feminine things.

"Are all the rooms in this building this big or is it just yours and Edward's?" I asked her, as I walked towards Rose, who was laying on a couch.

"Just mine and Edward's. Don't tell anybody though" Alice warned, as she began to pull me to her bedroom.

A few minutes later, all three of us were in our pajamas (in my case, Edward's t-shirt) and sitting on the bed.

"All right Bella, you had a question earlier?" Alice asked, raising her eyebrows at me.

"Two actually. But yeah, what did you mean by 'you and my brother have it bad'?"

I watched as she exchanged a glance with Rose before replying.

"You guys have only been dating for about a month now but they way you are with each other, I don't know. It's like you can't live without one another. You love him, he loves you" she answered quietly.

"He doesn't love me" I said quickly, without thinking.

"How do you know?" Rose asked.

"Well, he hasn't said anything…"

"You love him?" she asked. I hesitated, but quickly nodded. "And have you told _him_?" I sighed and shook my head no. "See? Just because he hasn't said anything doesn't mean he doesn't feel the same way! You're both probably just afraid of rejection."

I remained silent for a moment, quietly thinking over what she'd said.

"Now what was your other question?" Alice chirped.

I was pulled out of my train of though and I blushed lightly as I realized what I was about to ask her.

"Um, do you know why Edward gets uncomfortable when sex is brought up?" I asked so quietly that I doubted she heard me. But she did; and a grin made its way across her face.

"Because Edward doesn't believe in sex before marriage."

My jaw dropped at that one. "What?! But he was always all over those girls before we started dating…you can't act like that and believe that!"

"Well, it's not really like he believes that. Here I'll give you his exact words when he and I talked about this some time ago. But you can't tell him I told you!" I nodded my head quickly; anything for her to keep talking.

"He said that because there was no such thing as love, if he had to marry a woman just for convenience, he would wait till marriage. But there was no rule telling him that he couldn't enjoy himself in other ways. Hence the long list of girls he had make-out sessions with. BUT, if by some miracle he somehow found his 'soul mate', he wouldn't hesitate to go ahead and do it if the time was right."

I cocked my head to the side. That was a little confusing…

"In other words, he would do you in a heartbeat; marriage or not." Rose added.

I jumped a little from the bed, a little surprised at her bluntness. "You think I'm his soul mate?" I asked quietly.

Alice looked at me as if I had two heads. "Well, he's never been as happy with a girl as he is with you. Plus, I see the way he looks at you…It's just a matter of time now."

"A matter of time for what?" I asked eagerly. But she raised her hand to stifle a yawn and I knew she was done talking. "Bella, we've given you lots of information, now use that pretty brain of yours and figure it out! It's now my bed time." I watched as she and Rose laid down on the bed and she turned of the lamp. Sighing heavily, I laid down as well.

I had learned more about Edward in this short period of time than I'd thought possible. I was still a little confused, but it was nice to know that even though he'd seemed like a playboy when I'd first met him, he'd still had boundaries.

As I heard the breathing of my friends' evening out, I mulled over what Alice had said. 'It's like you can't live without one another. I've seen the way he looks at you. Soul mates.' And then Rose's ever popular 'In other words, he would do you in a heartbeat.' So were they saying I was his soul mate? And that he loved me as much as I did him? Well, either way, I would be finding out tomorrow.

I felt like I was having a headache from thinking too hard; and I was having a hard time falling asleep. I tried counting sheep, it didn't work. I brought his shirt up to my nose and inhaled his scent; it made me a little sleepy, but it wasn't enough. I needed the real deal.

I glanced at my friends and they were already deep in sleep. Hopefully I wouldn't be caught.

With my mind made, I slowly stood up from the bed and crept out the door. Being as sneaky as humanly possible, I slipped out the front door and jogged to the elevator. As it opened to my floor, I gave a sigh of relief at not being caught and slowly walked to our room. I was a little surprised to find the door unlocked, but not as surprised as I was to see my boyfriend eating freshly baked brownies, I could still smell it in the air, and watching T.V. He hadn't noticed me yet, so I took the time to let my eyes wander over his body. He was in nothing but a pair of black boxers but the look he was wearing on his face made my heart beat speed up.

He missed me.

I tip toed slowly towards the couch he was sitting on in an attempt to surprise him but it failed. I stepped on a loose floorboard and as it creaked, his head immediately turned to my direction. The drastic change of emotion on his face as he realized it was me made my heart stutter. That look he was wearing was because of me. _Me._

I didn't notice he'd gotten up from the couch until I felt myself being lifted up into the air and carried towards the bedroom. There were no words spoken as he lowered me onto the bed and immediately began to cover my face with kisses before finally reaching my lips. I responded with a little more enthusiasm than I should have but he didn't complain as my hands tangled in his hair. It wasn't until I began to feel dizzy that I realized I should pull back and breathe. But I didn't want to. He, however, saved me from that decision as he pulled away and rested his forehead on mine.

"You are never sleeping anywhere but here" he murmured into my ear.

"Hmm, I don't think I want to" I replied, as he lifted himself off and laid down beside me. "What's with the brownies?" I asked, remembering the delicious scent that had filled my nose as I walked through the door.

"I missed you" he replied calmly.

"So you made brownies?" I asked, turning on my side to face him. He simply threw me that crooked grin of his and nodded.

"It helped a little."

"Your shirt helped me a little" I told him, smiling back.

He scooted back a little and his eyes raked over my outfit. As he pulled me back into his arms, I could have sworn I felt him laughing.

"We are just too sad. How long were you gone? Like four hours?" I nodded. "It felt like a week" he said quietly.

I leaned against his chest, my own personal pillow, and sighed in contentment. Maybe, just maybe Alice was right; and he felt the same way.

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**So much happened in this chapter that I hope it wasn't confusing. If it was, feel free to ask questions. Also, instead of being only one more chapter left, there is now two. The next day will be split up into two parts because a lot happens.**

**Review and tell me your thoughts. :D **

**jojoStarr**


	23. Chapter 23 Say It Again

**Thank you for all the great reviews guys! Now to those of you who have been reading my author's note and promised to help me translate, here's what the maid said. I was only able to write a couple sentences because she speaks fast! And they're probably spelled wrong too, but oh well...**

**Que esta haciendo el? Mi dios, que le rompen la silla. Inusuales nino. Ella es un mono loco. So...what does it mean anyone? I tried to remember the little spanish I knew from 8th grade to help me spell these but yeah.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Series or any of it's characters. Stephenie Meyer does.**

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Say It Again

"Five more minutes pleaassee" I groaned, as I felt someone trying to shake me awake.

"Alice and Rose called. They're on their way up" he whispered into my ear.

_Alice and Rose. _Dang, I'd forgotten all about them. I was so dead…

I slowly opened my eyes to find Edward's emerald one's right above me.

Sighing, I shoved him off and rolled over to the side of the bed.

"Do you think she'll be mad that I skipped out on her?" I asked, as I walked into the bathroom.

"I don't know. But it was worth it" he replied. I smiled in silent agreement and proceeded to brush my teeth. As I watched the white foam get bigger around my mouth, I began to let my mind think about everything that would be going down tonight. Just thinking about it was making me nervous and I soon lost myself in my thoughts. So much so, that I didn't know someone had walked into the bathroom until I heard the bubbly voice of my best friend.

"Isabella Swan!"

My eyes widened as I came back to reality and turned to look down at her pixie form. She didn't look too angry and neither did Rose, who was standing behind her. So, maybe I was forgiven? They had boyfriends too, maybe they'd understand…

I rinsed out my mouth and turned to flash them my best smile. "Hello guys! How's it going?" I asked, in my best cheery voice.

Alice simply smirked and pulled me into the empty bedroom. _He left me alone to deal with her?_

Before I could open my mouth to speak again, I was pushed down on the bed while they stood in front of me.

"Just when did you leave last night?" Rose asked.

"After you guys fell asleep" I'd decided, the truth must be the easy way out.

"It was a sleepover Bella; you were supposed to stay with us. I invited you, you accepted, so how do you think I felt when we woke up this morning and you were gone? And don't give me that 'I missed Edward' crap, because Rose could have left to go sleep with Emmett, or I could have left to go be with Jasper, but we didn't" Alice vented, pacing back and forth across the room.

_Oh boy. _"But I did miss Edward. I had a good time with you guys, but I couldn't fall asleep for hours so I came up here."

She turned to look at me and her face was void of any emotion. The blankness scared me and I struggled to think of a way I could make it up to her.

"It's fine. I'm going to get ready for class now" she said, and began to walk out the room after Rose.

"Wait! I'll do anything to make it up to you. What do you want?" I asked, jumping off the bed to catch up to her.

She stopped, but didn't turn around to face me. "_Anything?_" she stressed.

I probably should have rethought my request after that question but I was desperate to have her forgiveness. "Yes!"

She slowly turned around to me and there was a huge smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she knew I would do something like that. _Wait a minute…_

"Alice, you tricked me" I groaned, making my way back into the room.

"No I didn't, it was all you. Now as for my request…"

I ignored her and made my way over to the closet to find something to wear.

"I get to pick out which of the new outfits you're wearing to the concert tonight and Rose and I get to doll you up."

"Doll me up? Like a _Barbie_? Isn't that what you do to me everyday?"

"But this is different. It's going to take _much _longer and you'll look way different."

_Oh joy. _I sighed and pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt to wear; the first casual outfit I'd be wearing ever since I'd gotten to this school.

"Whatever Alice" I said, as I pulled the clothes on.

"All right! We'll see you later!" and just like that, she was gone.

I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, grabbed my bag, and opened the door to go outside; only to run into Edward.

"Whoa. Talk about perfect timing. Don't worry, you're sister's gone" I added sarcastically, and pushed past him to walk outside. I was in a very sarcastic mood today. It wasn't a second longer before I felt his fingers intertwining with mine as he walked beside me.

"You're not mad" he said.

I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face at that comment. He was right, I wasn't mad; more like, amused.

"You ran away from your sister" I stated, not bothering to hide the amusement in my voice.

"You would too if she was yours" he retorted, and I had to chuckle at how true that was. "So what's your punishment?"

"She gets to play Bella Barbie with me tonight" I said warily.

As he laughed at me I turned to frown. "This is your entire fault you know."

"_My _fault. You're the one who left her room" he answered, looking down at me now that we'd stopped in front of my classroom.

"If _you _weren't so damn irresistible that I could sleep without you, I would have stayed in her room. But no, I couldn't and don't tell me you didn't enjoy every moment of it" I smirked.

But the smirk quickly left my face as I realized what I'd said. I'd called him irresistible. Way to go Bella, I can practically see his ego growing from down here.

"I'm flattered" he said smiling, "but as I already said before, it was worth it" and he was gone.

I shook my head smilingly as I made my way into the room and to my seat. _Whatever._

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

**_After classes, back at the dorm._**

"But Alice, it's starting to get cold out and my legs will fr-" I started.

"You'll be inside most of the time Bella and you can't tell me you don't look hot in this" she countered.

I had to admit, I did look good in the cuffed silk shorts and striped cardigan. It was very appropriate for this event.

"Fine" I sighed.

"That's what I thought. Now we're finished, go take a look at yourself."

_Finally! I swear I'd been sitting on that bed for at least 4 hours._

I smiled at my reflection and quickly thanked her. They'd curled my hair in a way that allowed it to flow down my face and the eye shadow used was very subtle.

"All right, are you guys just going to follow us to the place then?" I asked, as I walked out of the bathroom.

"Yeah, we'll all take our cars and meet you guys there" Rose answered.

I took a deep breath and slowly walked over to Edward in the living room.

"We're ready to go" I said quietly.

His head immediately jerked away from the television and to me. I smiled as he eyes seemed to widen slightly.

"Edward?"

"Hmm?" he asked, still looking a little dazed.

"We have to go now" at that, he seemed to jerk up from the seat before walking over to me.

"Oh, sorry about that. You just look beautiful" he said, as he kissed my forehead.

"Thanks" I answered, as he wrapped his arm around my waist to lead the way out.

As he drove to the hall where the contest would be taking place, I felt myself start to get nervous all over again. What if I messed up a note? Or screwed up the words?

"You'll do fine" Edward said, taking my hand in his.

"You're lucky you get to go last. Why'd I have to get first?" I grumbled.

"Because you're the best and every show needs a beautiful opening."

I smiled. He knew just what to say.

The Volvo soon stopped in front of a big building and we got out. Our friends soon pulled in beside us and we all walked in together.

"Wow" the word escaped my lips before I could think about it. The inside of the building was beautiful and huge. It reminded me of one of the opera houses I'd been to with the private booths all over the place and the multitude of chairs which gave off an auditorium like feel. Then there was the circular stage located at the front and center of the room. _Oh dear._

I could feel my palms beginning to sweat as I looked at it. With my luck, I would probably fall on these heels before I made it to the piano located in the center.

"Come on, we have to go sign in" Edward whispered into my ear. I turned to wave goodbye to my friends and followed him to the corner of the room where a woman was situated at a desk with a stack of papers surrounding her.

We gave her out names and because I was first up, I was immediately sent backstage. Edward walked with me there, but as he was about to leave, I tightened my arms around his waist to show that I didn't want him to. I felt him chuckle before his arms made their way around me. I was no longer nervous about what the judges or others would thing about my song, but about what Edward would think of it. I was putting myself out there and I would be so crushed if he didn't return the feeling. I inhaled his sweet scent one last time and pulled away from him as a man called my name.

"Good luck" he said, before walking back out to meet the rest of our friends.

I threw him a shaky smile and turned to the direction from which my name had been called. I had two minutes before my turn would be announced.

I stood behind the curtains and struggled to pull in deep calming breaths. This was so nerve wracking. With each second that ticked by, my heart beat continued to increase until I felt like it would burst out of my chest. I could no longer hear any of the voices around me. Just the pounding of my heart was the only visible noise in my ears.

Then, clear as day, my name was called from a loud speaker.

"Our first contestant, Ms. Isabella Marie Swan!" _Here goes nothing. _

There was light clapping as I pushed open the curtains and made my way towards the piano. _Please don't trip…_

I gave a sigh of relief as I sat down on the bench and let my eyes wander over the crowd. I found them in one of the private booths at the second level looking down at me. He flashed me a reassuring smile and I smiled back before turning back to the piano.

Taking a deep breath, I placed my fingers lightly on the keys and let the feeling I always got when in front of a piano overcome me.

As soon as I felt the calm wash over me, I let my fingers press down on the keys and smiled as the intro of my song quietly seeped from the piano. As I progressed into the song, I took a deep breath; it was time.

No need to translate,  
'cause my eyes give me away,  
Even though my lips don't say...

This should be so easy,  
but my head gets in the way,  
all the things that I want to tell you.

I let my eyes wander over to where I knew he was sitting and locked eye contact. I wasn't going to look away as I continued.

You're the most perfect yet,  
Most definitely that I've met,  
And I wonder if you know that's how I feel about you.  
I hope you know…

His face looked really thoughtful and as he looked down at me, I couldn't help but smile. This was the big one and how he took this would tell me everything.

'cause I have so much love for you.  
Do with it what you will...  
And I have nothing more to prove,  
Say to me what you will...  
Say, say it again.

I concentrated on the series of emotions that seemed to flash across his face, but none of them seemed to be a definite answer.

Not enough lovers in life to go around  
But there's you and there's me,  
If we don't start it out.. mmmm...  
It's not hard to let go  
Enough to let me in.  
If it's meant to be,  
It can only be good.

His face was now blank and void of any emotion. How was I supposed to know what he thought of this if he wouldn't show me?

You're the most perfect fit,  
Most definitely that I've met,  
And I hope that you feel the same way too  
About me... just let me know…

'cause I have so much love for you,  
do with it what you will…  
And I have nothing more to prove.  
Say to me what you will…  
Say, say it again…

Come on Edward…please… I scrunched my face up in concentration as if that would make his face tell me what I wanted it to.

Can you take it from me?  
If I give, can you receive?  
I'm reaching out,  
giving everything.  
I give you my heart, I give you my soul,  
I give you it all…

There was no longer a blank look on his face, but the intense gaze his eyes were sending my way was enough to heat up my face. I gave a silent sigh of relief, but when he stood up from his seat and walked away, I literally felt my heart drop. But I still had to finish my song.

'cause I have so much love for you,  
do with it what you will...  
And I have nothing more to prove.  
Say to me what you will...  
Say, say it again...

I finished, with a sad note in my voice. As the audience thundered with applause, I quickly stood up and took a bow. Then I turned around to hide the tears that were now silently streaming down my face and walked through the curtains.

I had not taken more than two steps away from the curtains before I was pulled against something hard and warm. I sighed as I realized who it was. This was just too embarrassing. He was probably here to let me down easy…

I didn't finish my train of thought as his lips crashed down on mine and he pulled me tighter against him. I was frozen in shock for a moment but just as I was about to respond, he pulled back and rested his forehead against mine.

"Say it" he whispered.

"Say what?" I asked, confused, and slightly out of breath.

"Say it again, please…" I sighed as I realized what he wanted me to say. I'd already said it and even though he didn't return the feeling, there was nothing else to loose now.

"I love you" I said quietly, looking down.

He lifted my chin up with his fingers so I was forced to stare into his eyes. The amount of emotion gazing back at me almost knocked me off my feet. Could it be…?

"I love you too" he said, smiling slightly.

I could feel my eyes widen in surprise and I began to feel light headed as the world began to tilt. The last thing I saw was a confused expression on his face before my world went black.

_Damn._

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**I got a review from someone who calls themself Trying to Save FanFiction or something like that. And they said something along the lines of how my story was uncanon because I had human characters and Stephenie Meyer would be outraged at Edward's rude behavior in the beginning of the story. Um...?**

**I have nothing to say to that except that this is Fanfiction and my characters can't be exactly like Stephenie Meyer's. I made them this way on purpose and if you don't like it, don't read it. **

**On the plus side, a reviewer named themself after me. (jojoStarr's #1Fan!) lol. I feel special, thank you. :D**

**The song in the story is Say It Again by Natasha Bedingfield.**

**Bella's outfit in this chapter and the previous one is one my profile.**

**Please Review and tell me your thoughts.**

**jojoStarr**


	24. Chapter 24 This Lullaby

**Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. :D Here's the last chapter of the story.**

**If you want to listen to the piece I envisioned as the lullaby in this story here's the name: Comptine D'un Autre EteL'apres Midi - Yann Tiersen. The link is on my profile. It's a little fast paced, but we can use our imagination.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Series or any of its characters. Stephenie Meyer does. **

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This Lullaby

"_Bella"_

At the sound of my name, many different images rushed through my mind. It was like a mini movie playing in my head:

_**Getting dressed, driving, arriving at the concert hall, playing my song, and then Edward telling me he loved me.** _Did I imagine that last part?

"_Bella!"_

There it was again. I turned towards the sound of the voice and froze. Why was it so dark?

And then the last piece of the puzzle passed through my mind.

_**Me, passing out after my performance.**_

I quickly opened my eyes to find a very anxious looking Edward staring down at me.

As soon as he saw that I was awake, a huge smile spread across his face, and I was engulfed into a huge hug.

"What happened?" I asked, as he pulled back.

"You passed out," he stated, before pulling me up to my feet. I looked around and realized we were still backstage and there was no one else around.

"Well, I know that…but why did I pass out?" I specified. I had an inkling as to why, but I wanted to hear it from him.

I watched as he took a deep breath and opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted.

"And now, for our final contestant! Mr. Edward Cullen!"

I listened as the announcement came through the loud speakers and frowned. I must have been unconscious for much longer than I thought. Would he stay to answer my question…or would he leave?

I looked at him and it seemed he was having an internal battle with himself. One foot was stretched towards the curtains and the other was planted firmly on the ground. Finally, a look of resignation came across his face and he stepped away from me.

"Good luck," I said, quietly.

"Thank you. We'll talk as soon as I'm finished playing my piece," he said, before walking out onto the stage.

I nodded, walked to the edge of one of the curtains and opened it a bit so I could peek out. Edward was now walking to the piano and I watched as he sat down. He set his fingers on the keys and paused for a moment, before letting his hands drop onto his lap. There were murmurs going through the crowd and I'm sure they were all thinking the same thing I was.

_What's wrong?_

I watched again as he stood up and walked away from the piano, and towards the curtains.

He seemed to know exactly where I was standing because he stopped right in front of my spot and pulled the curtains back.

"Edward, what's wr-" I began, but I was cut off as his hands locked onto my wrists and he began to pull me across the stage.

"You can't do this, you'll be disqualified," I protested, trying to grind the bottom of my heels into the floor.

"I don't care," I heard him answer. What was wrong with him?

As soon as the audience had seen me coming out with him, there had been whispering voices heard. Now, as he sat down and pulled me onto his lap, the hall went eerily quiet.

"Don't speak, just listen," Edward said in a hushed tone.

I nodded my head and looked down as he placed his left hand on the piano and let those fingers find their place on the keys.

I instantly recognized the beginning chords as they poured from the piano, because I had been the one to contribute them. They were calm and soothing, a perfect way to start out a lullaby. But the way he played them…I don't think anyone could make it sound better.

He soon lifted his right hand and placed those fingers on the keys, allowing the right notes to come through. His hands moved swiftly across them as he played both parts and I sat quietly, amazed at the beautiful calm the piece radiated.

There was a little lull in the music and I soon felt his right hand leave the keys and grab onto mine. He placed my fingers on the right keys and let go. I was shocked for a second, but quickly recovered as I realized I knew just what to play.

As I played out the sweet melody, he played the accompaniment, and I found myself unable to stop staring at him. He had closed his eyes and a beautiful smile was on his face as he listened.

I leaned against his chest as my part finished and his fingers quickly replaced mine. The next part was quick, but there was still that sad undertone to it that I had associated with Edward's music. It seemed as if, in this part of the piece, someone was going through hard times; struggling to accomplish something.

Then, the tone of the music soon changed as it slowed down. It became sweet, and I could detect a taste of hope.

The tempo of the song soon picked up again and I could easily interpret this part. It was happy and sounded as if something exciting was happening.

I felt him shift beneath me and he looked into my eyes, as if confirming something. I think he found it, because he smiled and returned to the music. It slowed down again, and I could feel that calm spreading throughout my body. It's no wonder every time he hummed this to me I would fall asleep. It was so peaceful, so beautiful. He had found a way to combine my part of the music with his, and made the song amazing.

I heard another lull in the music and I immediately knew what to do. Bringing my right hand up, I placed my fingers on the keys once more and smiled as the last notes of the piece filled the room.

He turned me in his lap and as our eyes locked, gone was the audience watching us attentively. It was just me and him, in our own little world.

He reached up a hand, rubbed his thumb underneath my eye, and pulled it back to examine it. I hadn't even realized I was crying until he'd done that.

Now, as his emerald eyes once again connected with brown ones, I felt a fresh new wave of tears coming on. They were soon blurring my vision and running down my cheeks.

"I really do love you Bella," he said quietly. "I think I was in love with you the first time I saw you on the plane…"

I opened my mouth to speak, but he raised his hand to silence me.

"Please…listen. I really need to get this out," he said. I nodded and waited for him to continue.

"You don't know this, but I watched you while you slept during the flight. You were so beautiful, that my mind seemed to blank for a while. But being the fool I was, I was annoyed that a girl could have that effect on me. I was the one usually having that effect on others. So, I fought back the only way I knew how. By being a jerk, or an 'arrogant fool' as you kindly put it," he said, chuckling lightly.

"But when I found out we would have to be roommates, I tried to hide the excitement bubbling inside me with the same attitude. I purposely flaunted those girls in your face to prove to you that what you thought of me didn't matter.

I soon realized that I was trying to prove this to myself, not you, and it definitely wasn't working. So I gave up, and decided I wanted to get to know you better. However, I was too late, you had _Jayden_."

He seemed to spit his name out and that surprised me a little.

"But you gave me a second chance. I could get to know you, but only as friends. You don't know how hard it was for me to watch you and him together, but I did it, because you had given me some comfort; even if you didn't know it. When I'd asked your advice, you'd said, 'if it's meant to be, it'll happen'. So, I waited, and apparently it was meant to be. Because here we are, and I want to scream to the whole audience how much I love you. In fact, I think I will," he said, beginning to lift me up from his leg.

I'd been so mesmerized by his words, that as soon as the last sentence left his mouth, I seemed to snap out of his trance.

"Wait! What? No!" I tried to get him to sit back down. But he was already standing up and facing the silent crowd. The crowd we had so blatantly forgotten as he'd confessed his feelings for me.

I watched as he raised his arms in the air and opened his mouth. "I LOVE BELLA SWAN!"

He'd really done it. I thought he'd been kidding, but he'd really done it. I could feel the heat rising towards my cheeks as a chorus of 'Aww' floated from the audience.

If we didn't get disqualified for disregarding the rules, we were definitely going to be for distracting behavior.

"WHOO! GO BELLA AND EDWARD!" My head snapped towards the direction of the voice and I wasn't surprised to see Emmett furiously pumping his fist into the air while Rose struggled to hold him back. I looked to the side of him and Alice was looking at me with a smug smile on her face. I smiled back and returned my eyes to Edward. He was now standing in front of me with that beautiful crooked grin plastered onto his face.

I smiled and stood up, making my way over to him.

"And I REALLY do love you too." I was so happy that we were able to say it this time without me fainting. He really did love me and I better believe it.

His arms snaked around my waist and pulled me closer to him while I wrapped mine tightly around his neck. He looked down at me for a minute before slowly lowering his head and brushing his lips against mine.

I felt his breath fan across my face and it wasn't long before his lips began to move against mine.

As I responded to him, the sweet melody of the song we had just played filled the room. I pulled back, startled, and glanced at the piano. There was no one there.

I looked back up at Edward and he had a small smile on his face.

"They record everyone's performance and always play the winner's piece at the end."

I could feel another smile light up my face. _We'd won. We hadn't even been disqualified. _

As that thought crossed my mind, the sound of the audience clapping filled my ears. Wow, I had totally forgotten we were standing at the front of a stage with hundreds of people watching our every move…again. I could feel my face getting red once more.

I turned around to begin walking off the stage, but Edward held me in place. I looked up at him with a questioning expression to find that he had an excited look on his face.

"Do you know what symbolizes our relationship the most?" he asked, looking down at me.

_What? _I quickly shook my head no, wondering where he was getting at.

"Think about it. It was there when we were hostile to each other, declared ourselves as friends, and now as lovers," he said, quietly.

I smiled as I realized what he meant.

"This Lullaby?" I asked, tilting my head towards the speakers from which the sound was pouring from.

He smiled again and nodded, before pulling me towards him for one last kiss.

"This Lullaby."

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**Thank you to those of you who stuck with me throughout this whole story. It was really fun writing it.**

**I've been thinking about a sequel and I know some things that could occur in it, but I have to be sure people would read it first. Because sometimes a sequel can ruin a story or make it better. What do you think?**

**Review and tell me what you thought of the final chapter. :D**

**jojoStarr**


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